My girls absolutely love their stories. Bedtime is not complete without them rushing off to choose their stories and they both then like to fall asleep together (which may involve a little chatting and messing around first). I love the way they love their books and being read to. Screen-free time and also time to bond with us. Like most kids though, bedtime can be a little prolonged and they are often asking for more stories when they should be falling asleep!! This is where the Toniebox from tonies® may come in really handy! We were kindly sent a tonies® Toniebox and some Tonies to review and I’ll be honest in saying it is one of the best things we have ever been sent. I hope this Toniebox review will help you to make a decision about buying for one of your little ones this Christmas.
What is a Toniebox? – Toniebox Review
A Toniebox is an audio player that allows children to listen to both music, factual content and stories. Perfect for lovely screen-free story-telling this Christmas. You play different Tonies on top of your Toniebox and it recognises who is standing on top and downloads the story from the Toniecloud. The Toniebox will turn solid green on top and your story will have fully downloaded and is ready to play anywhere, without Wi-Fi. connection! This would be perfect for the car, travelling or simply in a place without Wi-Fi.
You can find a Toniebox in John Lewis. They currently retail at £69.95.
What is Included in a Toniebox Starter Kit?
Your tonies starter set comes with a Toniebox, charger and Creative Tonie. You simply place the Toniebox on the charger and once charged you can take it out and about. You also get some Toniebox instructions. It’s a fab Tonies starter set and makes a lovely gift.
You will initially have to set up and account and connect your Toniebox to the Wi-Fi when you open you box. Your Toniebox, as mentioned comes with a creative Tonie which allows you to record your own audio to play! This would be lovely for you or a family member to record a story and your child can have this at any time.
The Toniebox itself is made of a sustainable fabric and is soft, perfect for little ones. Toniebox comes in a range of colours, so your little one can pick their favourite one. There is a headphone jack for some peace and quiet or solo listening! You have a charging station, so your Toniebox can be taken out and about.
How to Turn Off a Toniebox?
The two little “ears” on top are perfect for little ones to turn the Toniebox on and off and adjust the volume. You just simply press for a few seconds and it switches off. You press one for volume up and one for volume down. This was so easy for the kids.
A tonies® Starter Set with one Creative-Tonie has an RRP of £69.95. You can get them from the tonies Website, Amazon, or from John Lewis stores.
Listening to the Tonies on the Toniebox
It was really easy to set up our Toniebox, as it comes with some comprehensive instructions. You download the Tonie-App and once you have set up an account you can sign in!
We activated the Toniebox and connected to our Wi-Fi. Make sure you have your password for your Wi-FI handy, as I had to run off and find it. The instructions are clear and it tells you where to go to read how to do this.
What are Tonies?
We had received some Tonies to read some stories to the girls including the Gruffalo. They are really easy to work. You simply place your Tonie on the box. It downloads the story, as long as connected to the Wi-Fi and then can be listened to anytime. You can buy more Tonies (which are hand-painted and can be played with off the Toniebox) and there is a huge range. They will be a great present idea. Bear in mind though, these are £15 each, so you are paying more than just a book. You can also buy more Creative Tonies, to record your own stories and upload music.
How To Record a Story on Your Creative Tonies
I have to admit my favourite part was the Creative Tonie. I loved the idea of being able to record a story for my girls to listen to. It’s so easy. I went into my App and the Creative Tonie was there in picture. I clicked the live button and then add Audio content. You then record your story, name it and save it. It then is added your Creative Tonie, ready for your little ones to listen to when they place it on the top of the Toniebox. My girls loved this!! My hubby and Mum want to do it too.
Top 5 Favourite Tonies for Christmas
We love the Tonies. The voices and music are brilliant. Some fabulous Tonies for Christmas present ideas would be:
- A Christmas Carol and Other Classic Stories
- Christmas Songs and Carols 2
- The Snowman and the Snowdog
- Frozen (always reminds me of Christmas)
- Stick Man
You can see more choices here!
Our Thoughts on the tonies® Toniebox Starter Kit
As a parent I love our tonies® Toniebox. It was like going back in time to when I was a child and I used to stay up listening to audio tapes. They used to be lovely, especially if I felt a little scared or worried, stories used to really relax me.
I don’t always massively rave about products on the blog but my girls LOVE it and I love how they love it. My eldest. was truly mesmorised by it. We get a lot of things to review on the blog but the Toniebox she specifically thanked me for many times; saying how much she loved it. She can sometimes get a little worried or jittery, which she is fully aware of and listening to the Toniebox really chills her at bedtime.
We received a Christmas Penguin Tonie as all I have heard is them playing the music and they have listened to the Gruffalo, so many times now. I like how each Tonie has the story and some additional music on it. As I mentioned the Creative Tonie is brilliant; you can record 90 minutes of stories or music. I’ve put three stories on for them so far and we have so much more space. Each night they love to listen.
Price-wise it is a bit of an investment at £69.99 which I feel is reasonable, as it is getting used loads but as I said the Tonies as not cheap at £15. But my hubby pointed out to me a collectable toy can be £10-£12 a time and I’m sure children will get so much more use out of a Tonie.
The Toniebox is robust, soft and so easy for young hands to work. It took us a few goes to figure out how to skip a story but all your do is press the side of the box, or tilt it slightly. The girls have been carting it all over and my little man has had his hands on it and is has survived!
I would fully recommend the tonies® Toniebox. My girls have been entranced. They have spent quality time together listening to stories. It has helped with relaxing my eldest a lot and I’ve loved being able to tell them stories and save them.
I feel the product is so well thought out and designed and perfect for screen-free time for your children! I hope you have found this Toniebox review helpful.
Disclosure – we received this product in exchange for an honest review and were compensated for our time. All thoughts and opinions are our own.
This sounds absolutely fantastic!
I think anything interactive that doesnt involve a screen is much needed and especially if it encourages reading.
What a great gift for the whole family x
I imagine Erin would love this. It would be nice to read her favourite stories for her to play back!
You got more Tonies than we did – we got Baloo but Sebby is already asking for the Gruffalo. It is a fab gift isn’t it