Audio playtime with tonies

Welcome to our new project with the new Toniebox, a unique, interactive listening system that’s so simple to use, it’s child play.

600 participants

Leisure Time

08/03/2019 to 09/05/2019

marieclaire

5 years ago

Our half-time impression of the Toniebox.

Half of our wonderful audio playtime with tonies is already over. Read more about the opinion from some of our participating parents and find out what impression the tonies left on them after the first 10 days of our trying it out with their little ones.

Our trndster and participant Serama-lady was able to give her little one a lot of happiness with the Toniebox. She wrote on our project blog:

"Our tonibox is still my daughters favourite interactive plaything. Is so lovely hearing her sing along to the songs or listening intently to the stories. The fact she can be so independent with it is great. I don’t have to worry about inappropriate content or having the volume too loud as I have control of that via the app & tonicloud. I’ve uploaded a video to Facebook where she is telling me about each Toni & which one is her favourite."

trndster Shumyla found a perfect replacement for her little one playing on the iPad. On the project blog she wrote:

"We are so happy to have the Toniebox with us. We have literally shut down iPads and to be honest my children don't even ask about it. They are enjoying toniebox so much. They listen to stories and songs. We also installed some of their favourite songs as well. The best thing I liked about tonies is that your child doesn't get too much involved and engrossed, he/she knows what's going on as compared to the time when they had iPad."

Our mission for this week:

Let's share our experience with the tonies by sharing at least one picture or video to a social network of your choice (e.g. Facebook, Instagram, YouTube). Please remember to add the hashtag #mytoniemoment at the end of your posting. If you choose to post on Instagram, also link your post to the official tonies account @tonies_uk.

As soon as you completed your mission, please don't forget to submit a link to each of your postings, so that we can show the Toniebox team how greatly you helped to make our project a success!

@all: How would you sum up your personal experience with your child enjoying the Audio playtime with tonies so far?

72 Comments

Louigi • 5 years ago

We’re in love with our Tonie. It’s part of the bedtime routine. Is as if it’s always been here. He settles faster because he genuinely likes going up to Tonie. He loves that story it came with about nothing and nobody .. the version of the creation story. I have restful time in the evening as I can read with him then he can select his stories on Tonie stop when he likes pop them off and drift off and he’s not yelling for someone to be with him every minute. Life changing! Also he brings it down to listen to whilst he’s doing Lego. He showed it off to his grandparents, one of whom has a cochlear implant and he heard it and loved it, sometimes he struggles with technology but he laughed along with The gruffalo’s child. They agreed it was extraordinary. We’re hooked!! I’m ordering another story Tonie.

Tigerlolly9 • 5 years ago

My 4 year old fell asleep listening to the songs on her tonie box last night :-) it turned itself off nicely and I could limit the volume well to ensure she wouldn’t wake her sister up! Love this!
Also recorded her a message on it yesterday so she enjoyed that!

Lwoxana • 4 years ago

My son loves his Tonie box! He has it in his bedroom and loves listening to the songs. My favourite part is listening to the stories that he creates on the creative Tonie. It’s lovely to be able to leave him with his Tonie box and know that he is totally safe with his Tonies.

Silverskater • 4 years ago

So we have reached the half way point of this project and it has been such a good experience!
I had high hopes that this product was going to be good, after learning about it but I didn’t realise how good it was going to be or how much my child would embrace the Toniebox!
The actual Tonie box is beautifully and thoughtfully designed from the soft sustainable fabric to the endearing little ears that control the volume. The sound is clear as a bell and the stories beautifully narrated. Children just seem to love holding it and being able to independently control it!
I have noticed that it is something that children can’t help gravitating towards and my child loves to have the music on whilst playing and has included the characters (hand painted and delightful) into many imaginative games. It is a product that delivers joy! My child adores dancing to the songs and listening to the story. I would without doubt buy further Tonies to add to our collection. I can certainly see that it can be addictive!
It is so refreshing to be able to access audio content so easily and move away from televisions and tablets that can inhibit the joy of imaginative play.
Feedback has been impressive: parents are intrigued by the product and relish the easy controls and that their children can be hands on with this robust product. Expense has been an issue but I feel most people think it is worth the investment and that it would make a lovely birthday or Christmas present. Most feel that the Tonies are priced as an affordable gift option.
One small suggestion, I would make is that, a small discount card might have been a lovely incentive to encourage people to buy the product, more sticker sheets and perhaps a little booklet to hand out as a reminder of how good this product is! I think people will buy it but it is not an impulse purchase but one that is bought as a ‘big present’ for notable occasions.

Rebejh • 4 years ago

Tom and I live our Toniebox, he totally “got” how to use it straight away and will start playing with it and carry it around of his own accord. I found it super easy to set up. We’ve enjoying making our own recordings too. All very positive!

Micky24 • 4 years ago

My daughters were so excited to receive their toniebox starter kit . We were very surprised to see the Tonies as they were very cute and bell finished. We set it up as the instructions are very clear and charged up. The tonie box is very soft and padded and there and some nice colors I there to select . We got a blue one which my kids were very happy . After the setup it’s time to start which just putting tonie on the tonie box . It got a nice ears to increase or decrease the volumes. My 2 year old daughter knows how to on this and she plays her rhymes all day . My 9 year old daughter records her Own voice songs and plays them when her friends comes around to play. I can definitely say that my children cut down lot off screen time with this new interactive tonie box .I highly recommend this .

SJB123 • 4 years ago

The kids are absolutely loving the Tonie Box, they have been working hard on coming up with stories that they want to upload onto it. It been hilarious watching them come up with stories and and making up voices to match. Love how creative this has made them and has actually made them work together instead of fighting all the time!

madzia24 • 4 years ago

My kids absolutely loves the tonies. They are keep listening and recording something on it. The tonies looks absolutely amazing. The colour is so fruity. I would highly recommend it to my friends and colleagues. In my feeling the price might be a bit higher than I'm willing to pay (£15 for a book is a bit expensive)

Gem86 • 4 years ago

After a really promising start, my 6 year old has lost interest in the Toniebox - this is after me spending £45 on additional tonies!! Funnily enough he races to show it off to any visitors we have to the house so I think he still likes the idea of it but unfortunately it’s not holiding his interest in the same way an iPad or DVD does. He loves playing with the Tonies though and regularly talks about his “collection”! I think it may have been better if I had introduced this when he was younger, luckily I’m due to have another baby and will be trying it out with them once they are old enough to listen to audio books at bedtime. I personally still think it’s a wonderful concept haven’t really discovered anything negative aside from a bit of a struggle setting it up and the cost of the Tonies which are quite steep.

ClaudiaP13 • 4 years ago

Hello all! I didn’t have any issues installing it, I just received my package 4-5 days later.

I believe Tonies is great, it’s really interactive, easy to use and increases my son’s attention to details as well . My son listen to stories. The best thing I liked about tonies is that your child doesn't get too much involved and engrossed, he knows what's going.

Thank you for the opportunity of being a part of the project

Skg312 • 4 years ago

My little girl loves the Tonie Box! She takes it in the car wherever we go and loves changing the stories and songs herself with the characters. Such a brilliant gadget!

Alame • 4 years ago

My children are enjoying their tonie box. Installation was quite easy, didn’t take long. But I’m still struggling with the creative tonie, it’s a bit confusing and I don’t really have any suitable files to upload on it, looking for them though. My 4 year old loves the tonie box, her screen time definitely shrunk, she rarely asks to watch YouTube videos since tonie box arrived, also watches less TV. 9 year old also quite likes it, I often find her listening to stories on the tonie box. Even our 11 weeks old baby seems to enjoy it from time to time. We are quite happy, I have to say.

Kat757 • 4 years ago

Great piece of kit. Easy to use and fabulous sound quality BUT my son has now lost interest. He instantly disliked the Pinocchio and the little piggy and only occasionally uses the creative tonie at night. He's very much into imaginative play and being outdoors so perhaps if he had a different personality he would use it more.

marieclaire Your trnd contact • 4 years ago

Dear Kat757, Thanks for sharing your experience with us! There's a big variety of Tonies available, maybe there's a better fitting Audio playtime for your little one! :)

weezebic • 4 years ago

I love everything about the Tonie, apart from the cost of the tonies! Both my boys (6 and 3) have mastered how to use it in seconds, and the older one really enjoys recording on the creative tonie. It has so much potential, but I can't justify spending £15 on each tonie, especially when they only have about 15 minutes of content.

HOLLIETOYNEBEE-SMITH • 4 years ago

We love our tonie box, the problem is the stories are very short and after listening to them a couple of times the kids have lost interest. They are making use of the creative tonie more but also lose interest quite quickly. I don't think I will be buying more tonies as for £15 for 15 minutes I just don't think it's worth it. Had I have paid full price for this item I think I would be disappointed as the excitement is short lived and interest soon switches to something more exciting after hearing the same stories over and over. The idea is really great and the quality is excellent but unfortunately the price is far to high to add additional stories to your collection and I feel this will soon be placed on a shelf and only used every so often.

royalmittalz • 4 years ago

My little one is absolutely in love with this tonie box. His screen time has reduced now, which is why we are loving it even more. Also he has started sleeping now while listening to stories (my voice) in creative tonies. Looking at his love for tonies, his grandparents has ordered 2 more tonies as a gift for him, which is great. We are loving creative tonies more than the pre-recorded ones because they are 90-minutes long plus you can record the songs, rhymes and stories you want.

Honeyh • 4 years ago

We are loving our toniebox so far! I thought my 18 month old would find it hard to use and that would rely on me to help her use it but after a few times use she is able to change volume, change tonies and even change songs! I am amazed at how much she loves listening to songs on the box. She even learnt how to sing happy birthday for me on my birthday from listening to the party box tonie!

marieclaire Your trnd contact • 4 years ago

Hi Honeyh, we're glad your little one is enjoying it! We featured one of your online postings in our latest blog posting slideshow, check it out :-) Thanks for your contribution!

Sparkly_storm • 4 years ago

My boys have loved using the Toniebox every night and are really enjoying creating their own stories for the creative Tonie!
It was lovely finding out that the Pinocchio had many more stories on it!
The stories, and even the light from the box create a calming atmosphere before bedtime. 😊

Amaksy • 4 years ago

My son absolutely loves this and enjoys listening to this as part of the bed time routine and in the mornings too. He knows fully well how it works and he's only 4! He normally sets it up himself with no help from me and chooses which he wants to listen to. He enjoys the way Zog is told and the extra bits too - music and interactive clip.

We've managed to include our own recording of book reading to the grey Tonie and he loves it as he gets to hear his and my voice. Dad will get involved and this'll be good to listen to especially on the nights that he won't be a part of the bedtime routine.

marieclaire Your trnd contact • 4 years ago

Hi Amaksy, this is a great idea, we'd love to see you recording to the Creative Tonie! :)

Fizzykitten • 4 years ago

My little boy has loved being part of this project and trying the Tonie box out. We love the colourful and robust design, the choice of stories is great he especially enjoys the Julia Donaldson stories and was able to set it up himself very easily (apart from the internet connection). The instructions were very easy to follow and the online help videos were very useful. He is already making a list of the other Tonies he would like to add to his collection. 5 stars

Scotchbonnet • 4 years ago

My daughter has absolutely fallen in love with her toniebox. Whenever we get home it’s one of the first things she reaches for which makes me so happy as previously she would always ask straight away to watch a cartoon on TV. I like that she is spending less time looking at screens and instead is using her imagination more as she listens to the stories and songs. This carries on every after the story has finished as she continues to act it out so I love that this creative side of her brain is being stimulated.

ak88 • 4 years ago

I think I was most excited for this piece of tech as I am always biased towards anything digital. My 2 year old seemed interested on the magnetic quality of tonies and sticking them onto the box, and that is the extent of it. It hasn’t helped us compete with tv, even though I religiously put it on as a story time. Out of 3 tonies I only used Zog, as frankly squirrel tonie is outright inappropriate with Pink song and word “ass” being muted out, beatles with their “getting high with my friends” and fast food song. Last thing I need my little one asking is “what is pizza hut or mcdonald?”. With the creative tonie I just couldn’t bother looking for audio books to download.
That veing said I see the potential in this device: 1)if more tonies and affordable ones come up. 15 £ for a 50 min audio is too much, especially given that you can just stream audiobooks via google home or alexa etc.
2) if there was a white noise tonie - that you could jus pop in after bedtime story time
3) collaborations with nurseries and daycares - they could benefit a lot
4) position it towards working parents market to make sure moms and dads record favorite stories for little ones while they are at work or away on work trip, so they hear familiar voices when they are not around to make that bedtime story or naptime

All in all this has been interesting experience and I am grateful to be a participant!

marieclaire Your trnd contact • 4 years ago

Dear ak88, thank you for that wonderful feedback! You could use your Creative-Tonie to record white noise to it.

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Audio playtime with tonies

Our mission for this week:

72 Comments