Bambino Grande Pull Sled

I purchased this for my infant son to "give" to his father for Christmas, and it was a big hit (for both.) Our baby loved being pulled about the yard in it, and the sled was remarkably steady even in about a foot of snow. We used the JJ Cole Bundle-Me (see "customer images") to help keep our son warm as well as more securely affixed to the sled. (Whereas the sled does advertise itself as being safe for babies six months and older, there is no harness to keep the child on the pull sled. We discovered that we really did not need a harness, but that on occasion when the sled was pulled around corners it would tip slightly in the deep snow, and the Bundle Me kept our baby safely on the sled.)I found the sled to be a quality product, and likely to be a favorite for years (it seats kids up to the age of four) and then a wonderful heirloom or hand-me-down. In an age where Americans are often afraid of purchasing Chinese-made products, I have to say I was very impressed by the craftsmanship. The wood is gorgeously finished, the rope soft and sturdy and the various parts sturdy and well-made.I was also very excited to find a surprise Christmas tree ornament in the box: a tiny sled of excellent craftsmanship which is now a wonderful reminder of our son's first sled and his first Christmas. I'm not sure if the ornament is only in the package seasonally, but it was a happy and welcome discovery.Given our first experience with Mountain Boy sleds, we definitely plan to purchase other sleds from the company as our son gets bigger and moves to sliding down hills. I'm very pleased with this purchase.

Received the sled in time, hid the package from the kids, and played Santa on Christmas night. Big mistake. The sled came cracked at the front plank, just where the rope holes are. The plank is cracked, it might or might hold, not that I care as I'm returning it.The really infuriating part is that this crack has been there from the very begining, or is part of some lousy manufacturing process. The paint and varnish got into it, which to me means it was there already by the time the sled was still unpainted. It looks like someone went there with a circular saw while watching "Big Sister" at the same time.Which brings me to the "...Oh, so beautifully handcrafted !!!" part. I don't know if anything has changed since the last reviews, but this thing is far from perfect. I could give it a "decent" grade, if not for the sloppy crack/saw job. But nothing more:- The screws which hold the side rails look plain ugly and are too visible, proudly displayed as "will not rust" on the tag or not.- The bottom plate is held to the wooden part of the sled directly with screws which seem to pull it in every direction, instead of centering them with shims.- These same screws holding the plastic bottom are screwed unevenly enough to put it under tension and to leave little gaps between bottom and wooden plank. And this - at the front, where it is most exposed to snow ingestion. Imagine a large, flat tupperware box you would be pulling on the snow, with the lid not tightly closed. This is exactly what you're getting. Snow will get in, and melt once you put the sled to dry. Whether it will manage to dry or not is another story. Yes, it's no big deal, but such little things make all the difference between "beautifully handcrafted" and "hand assembled". There is a clear difference between the two.On a comparison scale, this thing is in no way better assembled and for sure not better thought than an average Ikea chair. Actually, it might be a bit worse.So we come to the important part: You might have better luck if you go for one of the more expensive models, which are assembled in the US at Mountain Boy's facility. But the Bambino Grande is apparently assembled in China, being at the bottom of the ladder in MB's range. How MB deals with quality control from there is their business.On a brighter note:- Amazon seems to be handling the replacement beautifully so far.- The person I got at Mountain Boy assured me that since last year, the whole bottom of the sled is a new one, and there are no stability problems any more (something mentioned in earlier reviews).*** UPDATE: Strike that second bright note. The thing tips any chance it gets. I wonder how it was doing before they changed the plastic bottom :)

We received this sled today and upon opening it my two year old daughter went crazy. First off, this is one of the most beautifully, hand crafted sleds I have ever laid eyes on. We could not wait to get out in the snow. Upon sitting my daughter in the sled I started to pull her and was amazed at how easy the sled glided across the snow. However, the excitement less than ten feet away when we came to the first part of the slightest uneven ground; the sled tipped over and my daughter landed face first. I cleaned her off and set her back in the sled. Several times we tried to pull her around just in our yard. Every single time we came to the slightest incline or uneven area she tipped over. After the fifth tip over she was done. We were both disheartened as this would have been a keeper, however, I don't want to hang it up in the den for its beauty. I need a functional sled simple as that.I contacted Mountain Boy and explained the issue and Kevin just didn't know what to say to me. With such high craftsmanship the actual sled (bottom) should have been designed far better. Even using the same slippery plastic material would have suited if there was a wide channel cut down the middle and it acted as two skis as opposed to a solid bottom. We live in Ohio and have about a good six inches of snow out there right now. her old sled was designed for 6-24 months so she outgrew it. it was a Pelican and never tipped over because it had a center channel to funnel snow acting like skies.I would have given this sled 5 stars for the woodworking craftsmanship alone, but it has to be functional and work well. The sled is described as stable and looking at the bottom one would think so. Mountain Boy, redesign the sled with skies and a channel down the middle and you have an absolute winner! This sled may also work better in powder snow. Either way we are saddened by having to return it as its just that beautiful to look at.

As a previous reviewer stated, this is a nice sled but our 15 month old kept tipping over on uneven or unpacked snow. We ended up having to push her instead which was not as much fun. Maybe if she were heavier or could hold onto the sled to prevent herself from falling off it would have worked better. Unfortunately we had to return the sled. Quick ship and easy returns as always on Amazon.