Are Tonie Boxes good, or just a gimmick?

[YourVagesty]

Just that really.

I'm looking for something without a screen that can entertain my one year old. Are Tonieboxes worth it or are they are a gimmick?

I'm wondering whether I should buy one or just stick a radio in her nursery.

What has been your experience with them?

I think 1 is too young.
I’d wait till she is 3 or so.

I know several people with them and it's hit and miss. Some love them and others found their children just played with the figures.

We've had a yoto player (similar to a Tonie but with sturdy cards not figures) since my son turned 2 and it's still going strong nearly 5 years later so definitely not a gimmick.

My daughter has had one since she was around 16 months, she’s 5 now and still uses it every single day. Highly recommend x

I think leaving it until 3 is missing the boat with them. My grandkids have had them since 18 months and love them. They both like books anyway and listening to stories, so these are really just an extension to that. The 18 month old loves age appropriate stories and songs and listens when in bed, while going to sleep.
There are often bargains to be had on the tonie website and sometimes they send you free ones. Also nice to be able to tell people which ones they want for birthdays etc.
I get it that all kids are different and don’t all like stories so young, but I think they are great. I used to buy my kids audio books with tapes and CDs, to me they are no different to that.

Thanks everyone! Overall, this reads as an endorsement so I reckon I'll give it a go and get her one for Christmas.

I see there are loads of different colours - does it matter which I get? I imagine the content changes depending on the character on top?

My children both had them from age one and are still going strong several years later. They only really listen to them at bedtime but for that alone they’ve been well worth it as they are very easy to put to bed.

Wait until Black Friday there will be bundles with multiple tonies. The colour of the machine doesn’t matter. So you could also look out for a second hand original model. Set up before Christmas Day as it can be a bit fiddly.

I got my son one for his first birthday, he loves it. Sits and changes the characters constantly and recognises certain ones, sings along. I also got a white noise character so that he can fall asleep to it. Best purchase ever. Colour of the box doesn’t matter, content changes with the character.

DD1 got her at 3 and listens to hers every night while falling asleep and every morning when she wakes up. She’s now almost 7 and is getting a yoto for her birthday to offer more choice to listen to

DD2 got hers at 1, again, she falls asleep listening to a different tonies each night and will have hers playing in the play room as she plays with toys. She’s now 4.
so they’ve always been a hit in our house

Just wanted to further endorse the Yoto player as another good screen-free option. My child has had one since 2 and it’s still in daily use years later; the free daily Yoto podcast is a big hit. We opted for Yoto over Tonies as Yoto has the option of making your own cards. So grandparents who aren’t nearby have been able record themselves reading favourite books, and we’ve been able to make cards from stories on CD and MP3 etc that aren’t available to buy from the Yoto store. Whichever you go for, I hope your child enjoys all the wonderful stories!

We use them in an intellectual disabilities setting and they survive much better than radios and CD players whilst allowing the individual control over what they listen to unlike just playing stuff for someone through a Bluetooth speaker, plus no need for internet connection/ SIM card etc.

The facts that firstly there are no fragile buttons/ screens and secondly it's easy to use without good fine motor skills are huge advantages.

The biggest disadvantage is that you can't skip tracks/ rewind and reply etc.
It's also a limitation that there are not many musical Tonis and making your own using creative Tonis is a faff.

The yoto sounds interesting but I've never seen one so no idea if it's better.

The VTEC My First Music Player is also a favourite with some - you can use it as a Bluetooth speaker as well as it having 30 tracks recorded and the capacity to record another ten, accessible individually with chunky buttons. It's getting harder to find new My First Music Players though - in fact I'm trying to get a bulk order approved (joy of miniscule budgets and micromanagement of anything that involves spending money) because although they are robust they break eventually if repeatedly thrown on the floor...

Mine have had them since they were two. My 5 yo uses it every night to fall asleep to, and if she wakes in the night she'll put it back on herself too. My 9 year old still uses hers often too. You can get a wide range of stories/songs for all ages.

Yoto here - you can make your own cards and you can control it and buy the cards on the app. My son is 9 and still loves his, had since he was 4. Also the cards are easier from a storage point of view, and the range is huge now.

My eldest has had a Tonies box since 2 and 2 years later its still used daily. Like others say brilliant for bedtime and if she wakes in the night. Love it so much so that Ive just bought my son a box for his second birthday.

Interesting to see others mentioning the Yoto. I am considering getting the mini one for my eldest for Christmas for in the car. Do people find they are sturdy and stand up to the usual knocks of drops of a 4 (nearly 5) year old?

Got our son a tonie for his second christmas after much debate.. hes 6 now and still loves it. It comes on every long car journey and he likes to collect and proudly display the characters which he still asks for at birthdays and christmas and even instead of chocolate at easter. Its survived a lot over the 4 years hes had it too.