my dd is almost 3 and I got one of those toy machines from joanns and I only got it because it had a finger guard on it. she is a little scared of how noisy it is right now but she loves playing on it. I wouldn't worry about her getting her finger caught as long as she has adult supervision till you guys are comfortable with her using it on her own. Unless she is really clutzy like me, (I would check her eyes and inner ear if she is) then I would maybe buy a really large clear plastic tube that you cut a slice into to get it around the needle and foot and try to gerry rig something for her. Maybe find a local fixet guy to do the tinkering for you. I don't think that they make them for real machine now a days. You could always call Janome and see what they have to say. I always like to call customer service when I have a question about products. good luck and let us know what you find.