Olive’s Toniebox is used everyday in our household, either as part of her bedtime routine or (increasingly) during the day when Olive wants to listen to music or a story. Furthermore, despite buying the box for Olive when she was only one, I still feel like we’ve had plenty of use from it, and this will only continue as she grows older and her attention span expands. You can use the My Tonies app to set up your Toniebox, and then after that it becomes a way to manage usage of your speaker plus a way to access free content, and create your own!

The step-by-step guide to setting up your Toniebox is easy to follow and only takes around 10 to 15 minutes. I recommend doing this setup before you wrap up the box to give to your child – this way when they have unwrapped it it’s immediately ready for use!

If you want something with a bit more potential for longevity, the Yoto beats Tonies in this regard. Extra features The makers of Toniebox say their product is for ages three and up. However I would happily have one for a two year old or younger, with the proviso that you would always want to supervise them with the speaker and Tonies characters.

In this Toniebox review, I can’t not mention that the Toniebox and accompanying Tonies are expensive. To operate a Toniebox, kids just place a Tonie figure on top. They squeeze the small ear on top of the box to lower the volume and the large one to make it louder. They can tap the sides of the box to jump to the next chapter, or tilt the box on its side to fast-forward or rewind through content. To change to a new Tonie characters, all kids have to do is physically swap the Tonie character on the top of the box for a different one.

Tonieboxes come with a charging point, but can be easily lifted off this so kids can cuddle up with the Toniebox wherever they want to get comfy.

The Toniebox has an impressive 7-hour battery life, which means it’s a great travel companion. I only charge the TonieBox once a week and most of the time it’s dotted around Olive’s room or in the car. Another brilliant feature of the Toniebox is the fact it doesn’t require a WIFI connection to work – unlike a smart speaker. As long as you have the Tonie to pop on top, the box will work – making it an ideal travel companion. I would give Yoto the edge on the free content, because it has a radio station and podcast. The radio station plays fun tunes in the day and sleepy lullabies at night. Figures are easy to lose due to their size. You may find yourself hunting for them under sofas and in toy boxes. The cost of Yoto Cards and Tonies is roughly the same – the cost of these does vary depending on what you are purchasing. So how do you choose?

What is a Tonie character?

Using the Toniebox is incredibly easy for kids to get the hang of, and even very young children will manage to swap Tonies around to load different content. This is a perfect screen-free toy for kids from toddlers who are just learning their ABCs to primary school kids who have a good grasp of reading. It nurtures a love of stories and is a lovely way for children to enjoy timeless classics as well as modern favourites. Free content in the MyTonies app including stories, sleep sounds and timers for things like brushing teeth.