It’s a fact that these days kids are exposed to screens from toddlerhood and in many ways even during infancy. As a result, many parents are looking for screen-free solutions, and why Tonie Box is an extremely popular gift.
Tonie Box is undeniably a cool idea for a gift for a 2 year old, 3 year old or even a 4 year old and it can grow with the child, as new Tonies are being released and many of them are suitable for kids who are in early elementary school.
Is Toniebox the best though? How does it compare to other popular audio players like Yoto Player or Storypod?
Is Tony Box Worth It?
Overall we are happy with the Tony Box and I’m glad I purchased one. Once the kids are older we might switch to Yoto, but since the Tonies don’t break, we can easily resell it later.
I wish that there were more options for language tonies. There are some in German and some in French, but a lot of Spanish stories are basically the same story told in English in Spanish. Which, after half an hour of English my kids often feel weird about it and lose interest – especially considering that it’s the same exact story, just in a different language.
Another thing is that I have an impression that British tonies are often better than American ones as they’re more non-mainstream options. You can pick up some British tonies on your trip or even on Mercari, so it’s not a problem but something to look into.
Tonie Box vs Yoto
Some people think the Yoto is far better for older kids. It’s basically the same system, but instead of little figurines, Yoyo has cards that you need to insert.
While Tonies are still being added and produced, they are mostly mainstream to intrigue younger audiences. Only recently Tonies offered educational content. Yoto, on the other hand, has more and more diverse content and way more options. Plus, the cards are cheaper than figurines.
I think the minimalist design and range of content for older kids make the Yoto Mini the one that will last the longest. The Toniebox has about 120 figurine options right now while Yoto has about 600 card options. The Yoto Player includes a free radio station (a day and a night one) that is full of delightful kid songs.
However, I would not gift Yoto to a 2 year old or even a 3 year old, because the cards can get easily destroyed by the child. On top of them naturally not being even remotely as cool as physical figurines like Tonies.
However, now that my kids are 4 & 6 we’re actually swapping our Tonie Box for Yoto. My 4 year old still loves the box, but my older son is less interested in hearing the same story or hearing a story he knows already (like Lion King or Frozen again).
Tonie Box vs Storypod
Storypod is another competitor to Toniebox. It offers slightly bigger characters that are soft instead of hard like tonies.
Unlike any other player they come with physical books, which is nice for early readers to visualize the story. There’s also an option of white noise, which can be nice for some, but if you already have a nightlight or something like Hatch then it’s not necessary.
Storypod has very few stories in Spanish and those available are mostly songs aimed at very young kids, but I assume they will be expanding. There are some known characters like Maya the Bee for example, but it’s mostly general stories developing social and emotional maturity.
My personal problem with Storypod is that the soft plushies to put on top of Storypod are for very small kids. While they claim to be 2-5 years olds, my 4 year old finds them slightly too childish already. There are options for older kids but they come in the form of Magnets which naturally aren’t as cool as visual characters. Plus, if you have multiple kids they can be a choking hazard.
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