The Yoto Player, a screen-free audio gadget priced at £89.99, is being praised by parents looking to reduce their children's screen time, with one shopper describing it as 'a success for parents and children alike'. Designed for children aged three to 12+, the device offers stories, music and educational content without a microphone, camera or adverts, providing a quieter alternative to phones and tablets.
The player is available in a range of colours including purple, light green, pink, blue, orange and grey. Parents can choose from a wide selection of Yoto Cards featuring popular characters, stories and activities. Yoto's subscription service, Yoto Club, starts from £3.99 a month, while individual cards are generally sold separately from £7.99, or in packages costing £29.99.
PAW Patrol story joins the lineup
Among the latest releases is PAW Patrol: Let's Dino This, an original Yoto story in which Rex the dinosaur expert and Timmy the T. rex join the PAW Patrol for an adventure on Dino Island. In the story, dinosaur scientists Gene and Heidi discover that tracking tags around the island have broken, leaving Rex, Timmy and the pups to repair them and save the day.
Children can learn about dinosaurs including the Brachiosaurus, Mahakala, Ankylosaurus, Triceratops and T. rex. A wider PAW Patrol collection is also available, alongside Yoto's bestsellers for parents looking to expand their child's collection.
How the device works
The Yoto Player is described as 'the ultimate screen-free audio player for kids'. It works by inserting a physical card into the device, allowing children to control their own stories and music without needing to navigate a screen.
A popular alternative is the tonies Purple Toniebox 1 with Creative Tonie, priced at £60 from Argos. This squishy, screen-free audio player uses hand-painted, collectible figurines called 'Tonies' that children place on top of the box to trigger stories, songs and educational content. Another option is The Ultimate Gift Bundle from Voxblock at £119.99, down from £144.94, which includes a Voxblock Player, travel case, headphones and three audiobooks.
Shopper reviews
The Yoto Player has been highly rated by shoppers. One reviewer wrote: “This was purchased as a present for our three year old grandson. My son sent me the link to order. We ordered the player bundle including Paw Patrol and other members of the family gave him other stories. Ordering was straightforward and, as it wasn't needed urgently, I went for the lowest cost delivery. However, the package arrived the next day and was expertly wrapped to prevent any damage.
“My grandson quickly picked up how to work the device and was enraptured listening to the stories. My son rang a few days later to say bedtime has become much easier as his son is happy to lie in bed listening to stories and fall asleep without any upset. A success for parents and children alike!”
Another reviewer commented: “These cards are a welcome change to playing Paw Patrol content from YouTube. Way less saturated with noise, way less obnoxious. The content on the cards is more interactive and actually talks to the listener rather than treating them as a passive bystander. I like how the cards tell stories of each Pup in the pup pack. So glad I purchased these.”
One shopper removed a star, saying: “Happy with the Yoto but miss the old charger. Hate when we have to find wall ports for USB cables - would so much rather have the old charger that it can sit on!”
Overall, most were impressed. Another shopper added: “My five year old son really enjoys listening to music and stories. The latest hit are the paw patrol cards, he listens over and over again. And of course we love the Yoto Daily with Jake. The Yoto player is a fantastic way to encourage imagination and a joyful time away from screens.”
