Tonies vs Yoto comparison
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One of the biggest gifts that came up time and time again was Tonies & Yoto boxes. Just some of the questions we got were
'What's better Tonies or Yoto player?
'What age is Tonies box better for'
'Should I get the Yoto or Tonies box?
'What age are Tonies and Yoto best for?
(For quick responses to these questions scroll to the bottom)
So let's answer them
Firstly lets talk price, they're similar in price but the Yoto does have a mini player priced at £59.99
Let's talk Tonies first
I feel like this is the most well known player, the more I discussed on social media about getting one I then began to hear about others.
Pros
➡️ Many varieties of characters
➡️ Independent play from young age - easy to control
➡️ Easy to handle characters
➡️ Characters can be played with independently which is great for role play & imaginative play
➡️ Sturdy and hard to lose
➡️ Characters more engaging for child than a card
➡️ Can listen with or without headphones
➡️ Long battery charge
➡️ Can put on own sounds & stories
➡️ Characters are nice easy gift for Christmas and birthdays
Cons
➡️ Expensive average £14.99 per character
➡️ Some of the characters are rubbish (Mr bean is just a song on repeat)
➡️ For younger children
➡️ Easy to knock characters off and stop story
➡️ Prefer just using Alexa
➡️ Can't restart the story using the app
The characters that was voted the best Tonies character is
Now to compare the Yoto Player
Pros
➡️ Longer life span as much more content for older children
➡️ Stories start at £5.99
➡️ Control player using app including listening to stories
➡️ Multiple language options, English, French, Spanish, German & Italian
➡️ Cards are robust with waxy coating
➡️ Easy to store neatly
➡️ Night time radio (10+ people mentioned they use it each night)
➡️ Daily podcasts
➡️ Can buy cards to record own stories
➡️ Sleep sounds with sleep training clock face
Cons
➡️ Cards aren't as engaging for younger children
➡️ Easily lost
➡️ Wifi difficult to set up
Both have the options to listen with headphones or without and so many people love both.
To summarise I think Tonies is made to be more appealing to 3-4 year olds although Tonies states it's from 3 up. The . Being robust is a great asset to any toy but pair that with bright coloured characters that can be used for imaginative play as shorter stories. The Tonies box would be a better fit for a younger age.
Yoto says it's age range is 3-12 years old which I would agree with based on the transition from stories to music, podcast and radio.
As mentioned Yoto has a mini player which can be charged using a standard USBc charger which makes it easy to charge from anywhere and on the go. This is great if listening in the car on longer car journeys.
Tonies box with creative character
Tonies Disney Princess Starter Set
Link to Yoto player & Grufflo and friends bundle £99
Here's a TLDR (too long didn't read) version of the article
'What's better Tonies or Yoto player'
This really depends on your childs age and play abilities. My 2 year old who is very independent would really like Tonies but my 4 year old who has Autism and has a love for languages would probably be best suited for a Yoto player.
'What age is Tonies box better for'
Tonies box is aimed at age 3-4 although can be used from a younger age due to how easy it is to put the figures on the top of the box
'Should I get the Yoto or Tonies box'
Age 3-4 Tonies, aged 3+ with longevity then Yoto player or Yoto mini player.
'What age are Tonies and Yoto best for'
Yoto is for ages 3-12 years old and tonics are aged 3-4.
Would Yoto player be good for my child who has a lot of screentime
If your child is having too much screen time and you want to find a way to engage them without them having constant screen time then both Yoto and Tonies will provide that for you with stories without any visual input. Yoto does have a small screen but it isn't the same as a screen which can be over-stimulating at times
Do you need to buy new figures?
With both Yoto and Tonies you need to purchase new stories or creative cards to film your own.
I'm sure whatever you chose your child will be pleased, let us know what you went for!
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