I am going to be making a rocking horse for my wife's cousin who is due to give birth in July. I have plans that I got from Woodcraft, but I wasn't sure on what kind of wood to use. I wanted to use walnut for the accents (tail, mane, saddle, etc), and I was thinking of red oak for the main body, legs etc. Does this shound OK? Are there any woods that aren't kid safe? What finish would you use?

Thanks for everybodys help.

Jim