This week we were sent a Toniebox to review. I’ve heard a lot about them over the last 18 months and had thought about getting Layla one for Christmas but wasn’t sure if she was too young, so I was delighted to have the opportunity to give one a try. If you’re thinking of getting a Toniebox for your little one then here is everything you need to know, as well our honest review based on our own experience.
What is a Toniebox?
For those of you that don’t already know, a Toniebox is a wireless speaker that can be used with different Tonie characters to play a variety of songs and stories. They are light weight, very durable and available in a range of colours. They are aimed at children from as young as newborn and dependant on the needs of the child would most likely be suitable till the age of about 11.
The Toniebox starter set comes with a Tonie character that plays a few songs but you can also buy specific characters based on your child’s interests. The Tonie characters look like little figurines and you simply place them on top of the Toniebox to get them to play.
What Tonie characters can you get?
There are loads of Tonie characters to choose from with new ones being added all the time. There are lots of characters from books and tv programs that you will recognise including, The Lion King, Frozen, Peppa Pig and Winnie the Pooh as well some that are not as familiar such as Princess Lillyafee and more generic ones like bed time lullabies. If you are looking for a particular character then you can use the search button to narrow down genres or age, or if you need some inspiration then simply scroll through the list till you find one that takes your fancy.
The Tonie characters cost between £15 and £30 and they also have different play times making some of them much better value for money than others. If you click on the character that you are interested in you will be able to check what the duration time is and what songs or stories are included and I would recommend that you do check this before you make your purchase.
Free Tonie Characters
As well as being able to purchase new Tonie characters there are also some that you can download to your creative Tonie (the one that comes with your starter box) for free. There are a few free ones to choose from and the options change monthly to include a range of songs, stories and educational activities.
How does the Toniebox work?
Now that you have your Toniebox and Tonie character the set up is relatively straight forward. You can either download the Tonie app to your phone or go to the Tonie setup webpage on a computer and follow the step by step instructions. However, I recommend you do this sat in the same room as your wireless router and turn off any other devices that are using the wifi as we struggled to connect the first time and found making these changes worked for us.
If you do get stuck then you can find a you tube tutorial on the Tonie website.
Our Toniebox stater kit review
We were sent the pink Toniebox starter kit which includes a pink Toniebox (obviously) as well as the pink creative character but there are five other colours to choose from if pink isn’t your child’s favourite colour.
When we came to set it up it took us about 20 minutes. Set up is straight forward when it works, you simply download the app or go to the website and follow the instructions. However, we struggled to connect it to the wifi but once we turned off the other devices in the house and moved to the living room where we keep our router it connected straight away and then only took a couple of minutes to get started.
Once we had it set up we put the creative Tonie on which was really informative and explained how to use the box in a clear manner that children from about 3 will be able to understand. It also played a couple of songs that my daughter loved and danced along to straight away.
As well as the Tonie starter kit we were also sent two Tonie characters. The first was the Frozen Tonie character which retails at £14.99 and has a running time of 24 minutes made up of 4 of the well known songs and a narrated version of the story. The second one was the Princess Lillifee Tonie character which also retails at £14.99 and has a running time of 38 minutes and includes a lovely story narrated by Kim Wilde and several songs that are very catchy and easy to learn.
Layla loves Frozen at the moment so we tried this one first and she was delighted to hear her favourite songs and immediately started singing along. Once the songs had finished the story started and again she was happy to sit and listen to it whilst playing with her Elsa doll.
Later we tried the Princess Lilliefee character which is a character we were not already familiar with so I was unsure if this would be as popular as the Frozen one but I actually found that Layla loved the idea of hearing a new story and listened intently. She also loved the upbeat songs and has now learnt some of the lines and can sing along with it.
For us the Toniebox starter kit has been a huge success. I love how it is easy to use and that it is also durable enough to withstand the heavy handedness that comes with a three year old, meaning Layla can use this independently changing the characters when she wants and turning it on and off if she pleases. I am also really impressed with the fact that it isn’t very big or heavy so can be moved around the house with ease and even used when travelling or taken with you on holiday – just remember to pack the headphones!
But what I love the most about the Toniebox is that it is screen free fun. It allows your child to listen to stories instead of watching them and because they are unable to watch it unfold on a screen they are encouraged to use their imagination and get creative as they visualise the characters and locations, a skill so many children struggle with these days.
Overall I think the Toniebox is a great idea and at £75 for the starter pack and £15 for most characters I think it is a good investment, especially as you can also access additional resources and stories for free using the app.
Head to the website to order yours today.
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