H.D.
One MAJOR suggestion, be aware that hampsters usually don't live past 3 years. We bought one for my daughters 10th birthday and within 3 months (enough time for her to get attached to it) it was dead. (She bawled for a week and even now at 21 when you mention it she gets a sad look on her face) We thought maybe our daughter had done something and were quite angry so we took it to the vet to ask why it had died. He told us that it was old already and had died of natural causes, ie. old age! You can't really tell the age of a hampster just by looking at it. So, make sure that is part of the discussion with your child and also with the place you buy it. Also, their cages need to be cleaned REGULARLY to keep them from getting urinary type infections and to keep your home from smelling like a zoo. Hope that helps!
Happy mom of 8 kids, 2 dogs and 2 cocketiels...