This Device Keeps My Kids Entertained for Hours. And It Doesn’t Even Have a Screen. | Reviews by Wirecutter

By Alison Rochford

The Yoto Player is, without a doubt, my favorite gift that my daughters have ever received. In the three years since my mother-in-law bought it for them, this screen-free, microphone-free audio player has revolutionized our bedtime routine, and it has provided hours of entertainment during playdates. It has soothed my kids during meltdowns and perked them back up with dance parties. I recommend it to anyone who asks about it, as well as to many who don’t. I’ve given several of these to friends and family. I simply love this little cube.

The Player and the Yoto Mini, its smaller counterpart, are minimalist in design and function, but they provide maximum entertainment for my family. They use proprietary cards to play audio, and there are more than 1,000 stories, books, music, and make-your-own options, with content in four languages, geared toward babies through tweens.

My daughters, now 4 and 7, lovingly refer to our Yoto Player as “Radio.” As in, “Hey, it’s my turn for Radio!” “No, it’s my turn!” (The Yoto doesn’t prevent sibling bickering, unfortunately, but I have yet to find a product that does.)

This screen-free audio player is fun for toddlers and older kids.

This is the same player, scaled down for on-the-go listening.

The Yoto Player has about a two-minute setup, which requires using an adult’s phone. To play a card, you simply pop it in the device. And since the Yoto has only two dials—one for volume, one for track-seeking—it’s easy for even the youngest kids to operate unassisted (though the company recommends these players for kids age 3 and up, if they are being used without an adult).

My girls listen to their Yoto Player every night at bedtime. After we read a few books together, they crawl into bed, and one of them gets to pick that night’s story (current favorites include Harry Potter and Henry Huggins books). The Yoto also has a clock, an alarm, a night-light, and an okay-to-wake light (which my kids have always ignored, tragically). It plays sleep sounds, lullaby music, and white noise. It does have a pixel display that shows one image from each chapter of the story cards, but my kids have never found it too stimulating to fall asleep.

We’ve brought their Yoto Player with us on vacations and to sleepovers at grandparents’ houses. My older daughter used to listen to the Yoto with headphones during “chill time” while her sister napped. They don’t nap anymore, but Yoto-powered chill time lives on.

We love the Yoto for helping us to wind down, but what I really appreciate is how much it has helped us curb screen time. Our girls are allowed to watch TV or use my tablet on the weekends or during long car rides, but we try to avoid screen time during the week. They have unlimited access to the Yoto, though, and they use it regularly, even during weekends, in lieu of watching TV.

When they’re not listening to soothing stories at bedtime, they enjoy audiobooks or music while they play around the house or in the backyard. As I watch them tote around this 2-pound cube, I’m struck by how easily and safely they can access their favorite content. (About half a dozen Wirecutter parents have also used the Yoto Player or Yoto Mini with their kids. And they likewise praise it for screen-free entertainment both in and out of the house, as well as for helping to get their kids to sleep.)

Having a device like the Yoto makes my older daughter, in particular, feel independent. The Yoto Player is not quite as portable as the Yoto Mini (which is roughly half the size and weight of its larger counterpart and has a shorter battery life), but she can listen to her favorite stories or DJ her playdates unassisted. (In April 2024, some Yoto Minis were recalled due to incidents of the battery overheating. Customers can contact Yoto for a new charging cable.) I truly believe the Yoto Player has kept my daughter away from my phone and has held her back from asking for her own, especially with use of the make-your-own Yoto card.

The make-your-own card sat untouched for years. But when the Taylor Swift craze swept the globe, it did not skip over our house, and this card became a lifesaver. After a few weeks of listening to my daughter blast her favorite five songs over and over on our living room speakers, my husband remembered the DIY card tucked away in a drawer. He uploaded our daughter’s favorite songs onto the card, giving her an easy way to listen to her music (with or without headphones; there’s a jack on the side of the player). We can change the songs on her card at any time right from our phones, if she ever gets sick of listening to “Love Story.”

Almost three years into our Yoto obsession, our love for the Player has not changed, but my daughters’ taste in content has. Buying new cards (at a minimum of $7 each) can be a little pricey. I suppose it’s no different than buying a book we would read over and over again, though. When my girls outgrow a card, we pass it along to friends. I genuinely find myself nostalgic for the stories that lulled my daughters—and me, crammed into a toddler bed—to sleep every night.

The Yoto cards are both easier to store and generally cheaper than Tonies, the toy-shaped audio “cards” for the Toniebox, the other popular screen-free audio player for kids. We keep our Yoto cards in a music box; when we travel, I slip them into my wallet.

More than anything, I love that the Yoto Player has been able to grow with my daughters. In seven years, we have cycled through an inordinate amount of kid gear, but this small, simple cube has been a hit through many childhood eras.

This article was edited by Amy Miller Kravetz and Kalee Thompson.

Alison Rochford

Alison Rochford is a freelance writer and editor reporting on baby and kid gear and helpful kitchen tools. She has previously edited for Wirecutter, as well as for several print and digital publications in the US and around the world, covering topics from international events to managing your finances as a stand-up comedian.

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