What is a Toniebox?
The questions I get asked the most, answered the way I'd answer them in person.
What is a Toniebox?
A toniebox is a bit like a walkman or discman, with a speaker at the front, designed for little ones aged 3+.
It also has a headphone jack, so you can plug in some headphones for a bit of peace and quiet.
What is a Tonie?
Tonies are hand-painted, magnetic characters that sit on top of the toniebox and play different audio depending on the tonie.
Some play music and others read audiobooks. For the bigger kids there are ones that tell jokes, or teach them about the world we live in.
The question I get asked the most
Will tonies from overseas work with my Australian toniebox? Or will Australian tonies work on a toniebox I buy from overseas?
Yes, all tonies will work on any toniebox, no matter where it was originally bought.
Creative tonie or content tonie?
A creative tonie is blank and has no content on it, so before you can use it you'll need to upload something.
A content tonie comes pre-loaded with content already on it.
Creative tonies: the good and the not so good
Benefits
- Personalisation: upload your own audio, like personalised messages, stories or songs.
- It adds a special, personal touch and makes the toniebox more meaningful to your child.
- You have full control over the content, so you can suit it to your child's interests and stage of development.
- Saves money, because you can change the content whenever you like without buying new tonies.
- Educational: you can reinforce what they're learning at school, like phonics and numbers.
- Family involvement: family, friends and loved ones can record messages or stories for your children. I love this idea for families with relatives overseas or parents who travel regularly.
Disadvantages
- It takes effort and planning to create and upload content, compared with buying pre-loaded tonies.
- You're limited to the content you create or have access to.
- The quality depends on what is recorded or uploaded.
- It needs family members to take part, which isn't always feasible or convenient.
Content tonies: the good and the not so good
Benefits
- Very little effort. Pop them on your box while you're at home on wifi so the toniebox can download the content. When it makes a ping sound, you can play it anywhere.
- Professionally produced stories, songs and educational content, ready to play straight away.
- A wide selection of themes and genres for different ages, interests and needs. There's something for every child, and even for mum and dad.
Disadvantages
- The content can't be changed. If your little one doesn't like a tonie or outgrows it, you'll need to buy new ones.
- The variety is limited compared with the endless possibilities of a creative tonie.
- You can't customise what's pre-loaded, so if there's a track you don't want your child listening to, you can't remove it.
- Some content tonies run for as little as 15 minutes, which can wear thin for mum and dad if your little one wants it on repeat.
Best age to get a Toniebox
In my honest opinion, the best age to get your child a toniebox is as soon as they are born. Here are my reasons why.
It saves you money. Put a toniebox on your baby shower gift list with the Nap Time white noise tonie and/or the Sheep Night Light (which sounds like my favourite day spa), and you can skip buying a night light and a white noise machine.
You get more use out of your toy. You'll save money on a white noise machine, and you also get more time out of your toniebox before your little one outgrows it.
Baby development. I'm no medical expert and I'm not even sure I believe this one, but let's go with it because surely it isn't causing harm.
Have you ever heard that classical music can help the development of newborns and toddlers? There are a number of classical music tonies, like The Maestro, who plays classical music.
Why I bought a Toniebox for my 1 year old
Encouraging her interests. From 6 months my daughter loved music and dancing. Her little face would light up when we put music on and she would dance around. Following her lead, I started looking for audio players designed for little ones that would let her take more control of her environment.
Ease of independence. By 10 months my daughter could tell me she wanted music when I asked, but some days I would forget to ask. Finding a tonie that was easy and simple enough for her to use on her own was important to me.
Visually stimulating. There are a number of audio boxes on the market that are very similar. I chose tonies because the figurines are visually stimulating and attractive for a little one, and they pique her curiosity.
Cross and multi play. I love that tonie figurines can be used on the box and also as figurines for other play, like in your dolls house, farm or building blocks.
Baby development. I'm no medical expert and I'm not even sure I believe this one, but let's go with it because surely it isn't causing harm.
Have you ever heard that classical music can help the development of newborns and toddlers? There are a number of classical music tonies, like The Maestro, who plays classical music.
My favourite tonie
I can't just pick 1! But I'll narrow it down to 2 for you.
My favourite tonie for my daughter is the Counting Fox. He's a fun music tonie that any kid could bop along to, and he has great educational value too. He has around 24 tracks and 44 minutes of nursery rhymes, all with some kind of number reference. The best part is that he has 6 tracks of the exact same song sung in 6 different languages: Spanish, French, German, Mandarin, Arabic and Tagalog.
My personal favourite is the Sheep Night Light. The tracks are so peaceful that I think anyone, no matter how stressed, would feel better. It reminds me of my favourite day spa, so I could play it all day if my daughter let me. Occasionally during her naps, once she's asleep, I'll take the toniebox out to my desk so I can listen to it while I'm working.
I should probably buy myself my own box and sheepy night light. Do you think I can claim it as a tax deduction if I use it while I'm working?