We recently got Yoto Mini audio players for our children (ages 4 and 6) and I am convinced they are the greatest toy of all time. In this post, I’ll share what Yoto Mini does and why our kids love them so much!
Our older daughter is just learning to read. We spend a lot of time reading books, but she is not quite at the stage to read books independently yet, and our younger daughter won’t be for several more years.
I love audiobooks, and I have been interested in introducing audiobooks to our kids, but we are not interested in giving them more access to devices (iPads, phones, etc.) at this time.
When I heard my friend’s review of the Yoto Mini, I knew it was the perfect solution for us.
The Yoto players come as a full size and a mini version. You collect cards that play stories, music, meditations, and more. I started off with a lot of bedtime cards so they could use them as a part of their nightly routine.
Here are some of the cards we have collected so far. As long as they kids are playing with them, I will continue adding more for birthdays and holidays.
For bedtime: Magical Bedtime Meditation, Bedtime Meditations, and Mermaids and Fairy Dust Meditations.
Classics: There are so many great classic stories available. I just ordered some for an upcoming birthday, including The Jungle Book and Classic Fairy Stories.
Personal favorites: Llama Llama Collection, Winnie the Pooh Collection, and the Beatrix Potter Collection.
(Note: I haven’t ordered any Disney/Pixar yet because I was nervous they would take attention away from the classics. We will probably add those down the road though, since our kids love those stories as well.)
Apart from the cards, our kids love listening to Yoto Radio, which plays a pretty big variety of music (it will randomly go from Lady Gaga to Frank Sinatra) and the Yoto Daily Podcast, which does daily birthday shoutouts and daily activities and games (it’s so sweet!).
Our kids feel extremely cool and grown up using these little devices. They do just enough to keep them engaged for hours, but not too much like a screen device.
They are educational and perfect for encouraging independent reading.
If you want to get super organized, I love this Etsy seller’s solution. We have not bought any organization yet—I have been storing the cards in a small basket so they have easy access.
Frequently Asked Questions
How did you get the pink and orange colors?
The rubber sleeves are sold separately.
Which stories do your kids listen to the most?
So far, Llama Llama is the set I have noticed being played the most.
Is the volume loud?
The maximum volume is appropriate for children, but I do find it loud/annoying when they are both playing different things at once. You also have the option of using kids headphones, which are perfect for travel.
I hope this review was helpful. If you are on the fence like I was, I hope I have tipped you over the edge. I am always hesitant about adding more devices, but this has been so worth it for our family.
If you have any additional questions, I’m happy to answer them in the comments. xx, Elsie
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We have the Tonie Box which is a very similar concept but with little figurines instead of cards. it’s not quite as easily portable as the Yoto but I would say it’s perfect for smaller kids because the figures are fun and so indestructible. My almost-3 YO and 6 YO both love it. My daughter switches between the Magic Flute and Peter Rabbit at bedtimes, and my littlest loves Cinderella and Winnie the Pooh. Just in case anyone was in the market for something similar!
There is a similar version in Italy called Faba. It’s priced similarly and instead of cards, it’s a little character you place on top. They have 5-6 stories per character.
I was hesitant to buy it due to the price, but this review is making me think it would be great for encouraging more Italian language listening/repeating.
OMG I’ve been obsessed with this ever since reading your review! I didn’t know this product existed and have since been researching hard as I am in Australia and it’s not readily available here yet. My 4yr old daughter would love! I’ve found a company in UK that ships here but it’s not great cost wise so just wondering where you buy? Thanks
Hi, thank you for the write up. Do you recommend the regular or the mini more? I have an almost 4 year old.
We bought one for our son when he turned 3 back in November! We are also obsessed. I wanted to add that the Yoto Club is very cool, for just $10 a month you get to select two cards from a selection of cards (and some are club exclusives) and we’ve found some real winners that way! They also trade and resell well in fb groups, I’ve been able to pass on some that my son wasn’t as interested in.
I saw in the comments someone asked what age they could start and I saw someone recommend the full size (we have both) as a baby shower gift because it can function as a white noise machine, an ok to wake clock, a radio, play classical music cards, and then other music cards and eventually books. As a new mom I would have been surprised by a gift like that but the more I think about it the cooler it is!
Bought one for my Daughter’s 3rd birthday on the 28th May back in March. Prior to that was in the fence also, so I tried the app on my phone first. You can get the app free and they have some sample cards you can try in the app and some radio channels. So after testing it out via the app, it kinda solidified my thoughts to purchase the mini one. My daughter loved the Nursery songs and at night after bathtime she would request a bit if song time. She loves the songs. Now that she got the real mini Yoto and I got the 10 minutes to bed card and matching books I am starting to introduce these as part of Bedtime story routine. This is an awesome product. However, for me, setting it up to my WiFi took several attempts because it either could not pick up the signal or it timed out. In my case, eventually I had to be directly in front of the WiFi router with the device and my phone. Here’s a tip. Save your WiFi router name and password on a blank document on your phone ready to copy and paste it over. Because if you’re like me typing it out will make the device time out if you are not quick enough and then it will say the connection is lost. This not such a huge issue. I still have nothing but praise for the Yoto mini. So for those out there who are unsure, try the app first. Then you will have a better idea if your little one will like it or not before you commit to a purchase.
Ahh I love hearing this – I just bought for Lilibug (4!) and am saving for a rainy day. So excited to have her use it 🤩!
One more thing: our son is 5 and LOVES their ladybird branded ones…”Bodies”, “Frozen World”, etc. I’m amazed at how many facts he retains and will listen to those for *hours*.
Yeah—volume setting is awesome. I believe they have some settings that allow you to change the light, as well so you can do the whole “wake up when the yoto is green” thing, too.
For the blank cards, I did a voice recording on my iPhone (and had others do that, too) and then made my own playlist in the Yoto app where I uploaded the recordings. We also did some movie soundtracks, too…not sure if that’s legal? lol. Moana, Star Wars, etc. Let’s them put the “sound track” to their imaginative play which often satisfies the desire to watch (more!) tv. I looked it up and found this to be helpful:
https://us.yotoplay.com/pages/makeyourown
What a great idea!
This is so timely! I was just looking these up! I thought the initial price of the Yoto was decent, but the cards seemed expensive. I am still on the fence but I know that my daughter would love it. And I am really interested in the blank cards! Thanks for the write up!
What is the right age to start using this? My grandson is 2 1/2 and my granddaughter is 14 months.
Thanks!
Hi! I can’t speak to what the earliest age should be (maybe someone else will be able to). Our four year old loves it and can do everything independently, so my guess would be somewhere around three years old?
We love our yoto! We got the full size one for our son when he turned 5 and I think it was the perfect timing for him. My friend got them for her kids for Xmas when they were 2.5 and 4, they are both still very into them.
Hot tip Elsie and everyone else… the yoto club is $10 a month and you get to pick two cards from a curated list, some cards get released to the yoto club first. For example the two cards we are getting next month both retail for $12.99, so it can be a great way to discover new books and artists without the money commitment.
Also target sells the full size one online and it’s usually included when they have coupons for toys. I got my son’s with a $20 off $100 coupon. Target also has a few Disney cards.
Also you can limit the volume max in the app.
What a cool item! Sadly, when I first looked at it, for some reason I thought “Oh! That’s so small and cute!”, th8inking it was something like 2″x2″. Not. It is a small size but not that small! Could you add any pictures with something for scale sometime?
Hi! The cards are the size of credit cards. That should give you the idea of the scale. XX
I’m sold! Do the cards fit both the mini and the regular size? Or are there mini cards for the mini speaker? 🙂
Hi! I believe the cards work for both the regular size and the mini.
Hello! Okay so we purchased our son a yoto for Christmas and it IS the best toy ever. We recently got Yoto’s card book (which stores about 64 cards) and that also works well. Have you tried out the blank cards? For Christmas we had family members do voice recordings and made a compilation of stories read by various family members. Super fun. I also did some of me reading stories that aren’t available on Yoto (Bodies are Cool & some Jon Klassen books). Anyway—super passionate about Yoto over here, lol. Do you use the volume settings so you their maximum volume is different at different times of the day? Super helpful for bedtime when he’s trying to go Spinal Tap on me &turn it up to 11.
wowwww GREAT tip about the volume!
I have not tried the blank cards- how do you record on them?? That’s a really cool option!