Review: Get Your Kid A Yoto Player This Black Friday, You Won’t Regret It

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Anyone who knows me knows how much I love our kids’ Toniebox – it’s mess- and screen-free, keeping my little ones busy for 20+ minutes at a time. They love to listen to the stories, sing along with the songs, and play with the figures – an all-round 10/10 experience.

But plenty of friends with children have sung the praises of the Yoto player, too – similar to a Toniebox, but with cards instead of figures – and I often see folks asking in various Whatsapp groups whether they should buy one for their kids, especially with Christmas on the horizon.

So, naturally, I took one for a spin (with the help of my toddler and 4-year-old) to see what all the fuss is about…

Look I don’t want to be gatekeeping information here and I know we’re all short on time, so my succinct answer would be: yes.

And now for the long answer…

The Yoto player (3rd generation) is super simple to set up – download the app, turn the player on, sync the two using a code, connect to your Wi-Fi and Bob’s your uncle. I like that it can also be used as a bedside clock and nightlight.

The player is super simple to use, even my almost two-year-old can do it. You turn it on by holding down the button on the side for a few seconds, pop a card into the top slot and wait for it to play.

You can then use the top buttons to either skip to the next part (for example, another song if you’re listening to music), or go back.

The sound quality is great and my kids love looking at the various LED images that appear on the screen when songs or stories are playing. The player has inspired many a kitchen disco – mainly to Soda Pop – with its thumping beats.

While the Toniebox is perfect for younger kids, the Yoto player seems like it might have a longer shelf life as you can play music (we’ve got Queen and KPop Demon Hunters on repeat), listen to stories and there are even educational cards (the phonics ones are currently going down a storm).

I can see older kids loving this just as much as younger kids (the recommended age range is 3-12+) – and it’s also very portable thanks to the small cards which are lightweight and don’t take up too much luggage space. You can also get a snazzy case to store them in.

Price-wise, it’s not a cheap gift at £89.99 (although you can get the mini version for £59.99 if you want to save some cash). But the cards aren’t overly expensive – most are either £7.99, £9.99 or £11.99 – and for the hours of fun, dancing and captivation after school and first thing in the morning, I’d say it’s certainly worth forking out on.

What’s more, this Black Friday, Yoto is also offering up to 30% off bundles – so actually, you can save quite a bit of cash.

• Yoto Player + The Ultimate Roald Dahl Bundle (£137.99 reduced from £197.87)

• Yoto Mini + The Ultimate Roald Dahl Bundle (£116.99 reduced from £167.87)

• Yoto Player + Brainbots Bundle (£114.99 reduced from £164.96)

• Yoto Player + The Zog and Friends Bundle (£106.99 reduced from £153.91)

• Yoto Player + The Gruffalo and Friends Bundle (£105.99 reduced from £151.91)

• Yoto Player + Yoto Classic Stories Bundle (£103.99 reduced from £149.97)

• Yoto Player + Enid Blyton Bundle (£103.99 reduced from £149.96)

• Yoto Player + Disney Classics & Pixar Bundle (£102.99 reduced from £147.92)