The Edit — Toys & Games
Kids' Sleds Explained: Saucers, Toboggans and Steerable
A saucer spins, a toboggan runs straight and a runner sled steers. Which shape suits a toddler, a 6-year-old or 2 siblings sharing a hill, and the age and weight limits each maker prints.
This guide is research-led: we have not handled these units ourselves. If you buy through our links we may earn a commission — it never changes a pick.Research-led, nothing handled. We may earn from links; it never changes a pick. How we choose
This page explains the 4 shapes of sled a child is likely to ride, which age and hill each suits, and lists 5 sleds across them, as How we choose describes. Each is read against the age, rider and weight limits its maker states. Nothing here was handled or tested.
Slippery Racer Downhill Sprinter Toddler Toboggan, 35 inch
Good fit A toddler's first winter, pulled along the flat as much as down a hill
Not for 2 children at once
Step2 Snow Runner Ride-On Sled
Good fit 2 small siblings on a gentle back-garden slope
Not for A child older than 6
Flybar Foam Saucer Snow Sled, Ages 5+
Good fit A 5 to 9 year old who wants speed and spin
Not for A child who needs to steer or stop
Flexible Flyer 26-inch Flying Saucer Multipack
Good fit A family or a party with several children on one hill
Not for A toddler, who will spin off
Slippery Racer Downhill Xtreme Toboggan, 2 Riders
Good fit A parent riding with a child, or 2 older siblings
Not for A single small child, who will rattle around on it
4 shapes, and each one rides differently
The shape decides how a sled moves, so choose it before the brand. Wikipedia’s Sled article lists the common types for a child’s hill.
| Type | What it is | How it rides | Suits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Toboggan | A long sled with no runners | Straight, steady | Toddlers, 2 riders |
| Saucer | A round disc, plastic, foam or metal | Fast, and it spins | About 5 and up |
| Foam slider | A flat foam board with handles | Light and fast | About 5 and up |
| Runner sled | Steel runners and a steering bar | Steers on packed snow | Older children |
Inflatable tubes are a fifth type, which Wikipedia describes as a plastic membrane filled with air, making a light round sled.
A short toboggan is the sled for a toddler
A toboggan runs straight and sits low, which is what a 2 or 3 year old needs. The Slippery Racer Sprinter is a 35-inch flexible plastic toboggan with a pull rope, sold for kids and toddlers. The rope matters: at this age, half the ride is being pulled across the flat. Slippery Racer makes it in several colours.
Slippery Racer Downhill Sprinter Toddler Toboggan, 35 inch
A 35-inch flexible plastic toboggan with a pull rope and handles, sold for kids and toddlers.
Current price shown on Amazon. We may earn a commission.
| Type | Toboggan |
|---|---|
| Length | 35 inches |
| Extras | Pull rope, handles |
A 35-inch toboggan with a pull rope, for a toddler’s first winter.
Buy it if
- A toddler's first winter, pulled along the flat as much as down a hill
Don't buy it if
- 2 children at once
The Step2 Snow Runner is a ride-on sled that Step2 states is for ages 3 to 6, for 2 riders and up to 120 pounds. It suits 2 small siblings on a gentle slope.
Step2 Snow Runner Ride-On Sled
A plastic ride-on sled for 2 riders aged 3 to 6, up to 120 pounds in all, per Step2.
Current price shown on Amazon. We may earn a commission.
| Type | Ride-on toboggan |
|---|---|
| Ages | 3 to 6, per the listing |
| Riders | 2 |
| Max weight | 120 lbs |
A ride-on sled for 2 riders aged 3 to 6, up to 120 pounds.
Buy it if
- 2 small siblings on a gentle back-garden slope
Don't buy it if
- A child older than 6
A saucer is fast fun from about 5
A saucer has no front, so it spins, and a child on it cannot steer. That is the thrill, and it is why saucers suit a child old enough to hold on and roll off. The Flybar foam saucer has grip handles and a slick bottom, and Flybar sells it for ages 5 and up.
Flybar Foam Saucer Snow Sled, Ages 5+
A foam saucer with grip handles and a slick bottom, sold for ages 5 and up.
Current price shown on Amazon. We may earn a commission.
| Type | Foam saucer |
|---|---|
| Ages | 5+, per the listing |
A foam saucer for ages 5 and up, with grip handles.
Buy it if
- A 5 to 9 year old who wants speed and spin
Don't buy it if
- A child who needs to steer or stop
The Flexible Flyer 26-inch saucers are hard plastic discs with hand grips, sold as a multipack. They suit a hill with several children on it, where everyone wants a turn at once.
Flexible Flyer 26-inch Flying Saucer Multipack
26-inch plastic saucers with hand grips, sold as a multipack.
Current price shown on Amazon. We may earn a commission.
| Type | Plastic saucer |
|---|---|
| Diameter | 26 inches |
26-inch plastic saucers, bought by the pack for a group.
Buy it if
- A family or a party with several children on one hill
Don't buy it if
- A toddler, who will spin off
A 2-rider toboggan suits a parent and child
A longer toboggan lets an adult ride behind a child on a bigger hill. The Slippery Racer Xtreme is a flexible toboggan for up to 2 riders, adults or kids, with a pull rope and handles.
Slippery Racer Downhill Xtreme Toboggan, 2 Riders
A flexible plastic toboggan for up to 2 riders, adults or kids, with a pull rope and handles.
Current price shown on Amazon. We may earn a commission.
| Type | Toboggan |
|---|---|
| Riders | Up to 2 |
A toboggan for up to 2 riders, adults or kids.
Buy it if
- A parent riding with a child, or 2 older siblings
Don't buy it if
- A single small child, who will rattle around on it
A runner sled steers with a cross-bar, as it did in 1889
A runner sled is the one of the 4 shapes a child can steer, by pushing or pulling a cross-bar, so it suits a child strong enough to use it. Flexible Flyer is the brand behind the steel-runner design.
Check the age and weight on the listing
Every maker prints a limit, and it is the most useful line on the box. Step2 states 3 to 6 years and 120 pounds for its Snow Runner; Flybar states 5 and up for its saucer. Buy within them.
A sled is the outdoor gift a child uses in the weeks after Christmas. The best toys for 6-year-olds and the best toys for 8-year-olds cover the indoor ones.
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