I’m not sure when my sweet daughter, Poppy, disappeared and a bit of a brat took her place. She was starting with the backchat and I noticed that she wasn’t happily sharing her toys and sweets like she used to. I was truly concerned because she just turned 6 and is heading to year one in only a few weeks. She can’t bring that selfish behaviour into the classroom!
I was at my wit’s end and had to do something.
When I turned to my neighborhood Mums Group for advice, they assured me that I’m not alone. There’s a definite correlation between a child’s obsessive screen-directed attention and negative behaviour. But they had an ingenious solution — I could cleverly reduce Poppy’s screentime with the Toniebox. It’s a must-have musical story box bursting with jolly stories and songs for kids up to 8 years of age. My Mums Group adores the Toniebox because it’s squishable, snuggable and tough enough to withstand the bumps and tumbles that childhood throws at it. And they assured me it could be a fabulous way to reduce Poppy’s screentime.
I jumped on their site to see how it works. Stellar 5-Star reviews with pics of real kids enjoying their Tonies in the real world — brilliant. I noticed that The National Literacy Trust stresses that listening to stories that are read aloud like the Toniebox is both entertaining and educational, boosting vocabulary and literacy skills. So, perhaps the Toniebox could calm Poppy down, get her to focus and be kinder in the process?
But then I discovered how educational listening to Tonies can be and its many positive effects on children’s attention, comprehension and language skills. Ongoing engagement benefits kids by expanding their vocabulary, increasing verbal fluency, and even improving literacy.
The Toniebox itself costs about £79.95 and only £14.99 for an individual Tonie. Or you can save up to £30 with their bundles! So I bought up the shop.
The shipping was super quick. Before I knew it I’d opened the package and found the magical bundle. The Toniebox and a handful of delightful Tonies — hand-painted collectibles of her beloved characters like Lion King, Paddington Bear, Frozen, Peppa Pig, and Paw Patrol.
Designed by parents to be completely safe for little listeners to operate on their own, simply place the Tonie atop the box and pop, tap, tilt, and squeeze the ears to navigate through your favourite stories and songs.
At the end of the day, Poppy fell. In. Love.
She cherishes her Toniebox and didn’t suffer through screen detox. She dropped all that really quickly. And all summer long, she’s been singing and dancing and chatting with her Tonies. Lately, Poppy’s been telling her own funny stories.
I really think Poppy’s shift in attitude — this positive self-regulation — is all down to more consistent sleep patterns. As a result of our ongoing use of the Toniebox at bedtime, we’ve established a wonderful routine that calms her down and helps her be more mindful, more imaginative and more caring. I think she’s ready for school.
As parents, fostering skills like attention, comprehension and literacy — especially during those early school years — is key. With the Toniebox, children can journey far beyond their screens and back to school.
From breakfast to bedtime, our lovely Toniebox keeps the peace and fills our lives with joy!
