Editor's Note: Traveling with 2 kids under the age of 5 can be a free-for-all. Keeping them entertained is the biggest challenge. So my husband and I usually stick an iPad with cartoons in front of them and that would give us a few minutes of peace. But then we heard about the Toniebox — a musical storybox for kids.
Before The Toniebox:
Summertime is the best time to travel — the days are longer and the weather is glorious. My husband and I have always adored exploring new places whether it's day trips or longer holidays abroad. We view our excursions as a fantastic way to break away from the mundane.
We never imagined that having kids would change that — or at least we hoped it wouldn’t. Then came our 2 boys — Riley, 5 and Keith, 3. We love them to death, but traveling with them can be exhausting because like all kids, they need constant entertainment.
My husband and I usually fill the boys’ carry-ons with toys to distract them. But it only lasts a little while before it’s “Mum… I’m bored” or out comes the play dough. Pop a phone with games in front of them and it’s heads down for hours. But I feel guilty about relying on screens.
Over the last few months, I’ve noticed that their attention-span has decreased — they get bored, much quicker and putting them to bed has become a challenge because of their increased screentime. I had to find a way for the kids to engage in screen-free fun while learning how to keep themselves amused.
Then, my friend Sally introduced me to the Toniebox — a magical, musical story box for children up to 8 years of age. Sally read that 97% of parents claim that the Toniebox is fantastic for streamlining bedtime routines, with stories, white noise, and calm-time. It really stuck with her. I was super impressed when I read that The National Literacy Trust affirms that listening to audiobooks is both entertaining and educational, boosting vocabulary and literacy skills. This stuck with me and I was curious to see if my kids would fall in love with this magical musical storybox.
The box comes with Tonies — hand-painted collectables of different characters that are bursting with exciting tales. Once the figurine is placed on top of the box, the kids can listen to engaging stories and sing along to their favourite tunes.
After The Toniebox:
This spellbinding box seemed too good to be true, but we picked one up to see if the boys would go for it. The Toniebox is soft, squishy, and practically indestructible — meaning Keith can hurl it from the pram or Riley can drop it while running to our gate without breaking it.
I was skeptical about the box — as exciting and educational as it is. Would it keep my little ones busy? So, we tested it on our next weekend trip to Brighton. The Toniebox is so portable and the kids can change their stories anytime. Plus, it works offline, so I wouldn’t really have to worry about connecting to the Wifi or data.
For the first time, the car ride was quiet! The boys were so engaged that my Husband and I had a chance to actually chat a bit and plan our upcoming activities.
With 7 hours of battery life, it comes with a headphone jack so us adults don’t have to hear Gruffalo on repeat. Since it's designed for kids, they simply pop, tap, tilt, and squeeze the ears on the Toniebox to navigate through their favourite stories and songs.
The best part is that it grows with kids because there are stories for all ages. The most popular ones are The Lion King, Paddington Bear, Frozen, Peppa Pig, Gruffalo and Paw Patrol — Keith loves them all.
For older kids, their National Geographic Kids series is speech-based, factual and contains detailed content about popular subjects. Riley is obsessed with dinosaurs and will spout endless facts about pterodactyls. He’s alo delighted that he can listen to some of his favourite books like Roald Dahl's Matilda or The Famous Five: A Short Story Collection
The Toniebox is such a brilliant solution, so we took it on our family holiday to Marbellla, and it was truly amazing.
Between paddling in the pool and building sand castles, the boys were kept happy with the Toniebox. Even though they were out of their routine, they still drifted off to asleep early in the evening thanks to the Tonies and their charming stories. As parents, we got a much needed break and the kids have memories to last a lifetime.
We’ve since invested in the Creative-Tonies. It’s a character that can hold your own stories, whether it's tales from the grandparents or your favourite lullabies, the kids can record anything they like for up to 90 minutes. Riley recorded a sweet little story about a girl hedgehog eating icecream on Playa del Alicate. What an incredible way to capture the joys of our trip! Plus, the Toniebox app has 100 + hours of free content as well that keeps the kids engaged.
Final Thoughts:
They have a range of boxes; you can create a bundle containing a Toniebox + 3 Tonies for £109.99, the Toniebox + 5 Tonies costs £119.99 a Creative-Tonie, while the Toniebox + 7 Tonies — best value is £154.99. And each additional Tonie is £14.99.
As parents, we all want our kids to tour the world and fall in love with different cultures, not just through a screen.
Traveling with kids doesn’t have to be stressful. Pick up a Toniebox, it’ll make your summertime journeys a breeze!
