Everything You Need to Know About the Yoto Mini
Last summer, after more than a year of people asking for my opinion about the Yoto Player, I finally ordered one and despite my skepticism, our whole family was instantly converted.
I wrote a whole post about the Yoto Player and we’ve continued to love it.
Then, in the fall, the Yoto Mini was released and by the end of the year, we owned not only our original Yoto Player, but now three Yoto Mini players as well (our youngest daughter, who is 5, has the original Yoto Player, while each of the three older girls – ages 7, 9 and 11 – have a Yoto Mini).
Now, with lots of experience with both Yoto players, my vote is for the Yoto Mini (Use this link to get 10% off the original Yoto Player or the Yoto Mini for first-time customers).
Everything You Need to Know About the Yoto Mini
They’re both great and you can’t go wrong with either, but my personal preference for the Yoto Mini is based on these three factors:
- The Yoto Mini is less expensive. The original Yoto Player is $99.99, while the Yoto Mini is $69.99. You know I always love saving money where I can and $30 leaves a lot more room for buying Yoto cards!
- The Yoto Mini is more portable. When we went to San Diego for Spring Break, all my girls brought their Yoto Players and the three older girls slipped their Yoto Minis into their backpacks with no problem. For Tally, on the other hand, her original Yoto Player was a TIGHT squeeze in her backpack and took up a lot of room. Especially if you plan to travel with it, I think the Yoto Mini is a better option, but even at home, the Yoto Mini takes up less space on a bedside table and is easier to carry around the house.
- The Yoto Mini has almost all the same features as the original Yoto Player. Truly they’re almost identical features-wise. The Yoto Mini has slightly less volume because it’s a smaller player and uses a different charger. The only functional difference is that the Yoto Player has a nightlight and the Yoto Mini does not. So unless you really want the night light feature, I see little reason to spend the extra $30 on a Yoto Player.
Here were some of the most frequently asked questions about the Yoto Mini:
- Do you have a discount code for the Yoto Mini? Yes! Use the code AFF-JANSSEN10 to get 10% off a Yoto Player or Yoto Mini for first-time customers.
- Does the Yoto Mini only work with headphones? No! It has a speaker, just like the Yoto Player. Both the Yoto Mini and the Yoto Player have a normal headphone jack, so you CAN use either of them with headphones if you’re so inclined (Yoto sells headphones but I haven’t tried them out – these are the headphones we use).
- Are the cards the same for the Yoto Mini? Yes! It’s the same cards for both players – my girls share all our Yoto cards around and it makes no difference whether they have an original Yoto or a Yoto Mini.
- Can a toddler use the Yoto Mini? Yes! Two of my team members have toddlers (2 and 3.5 years old, respectively) and they’ve both said their children can manage the Yoto Mini. It might be SLIGHTLY easier to put cards in the original Yoto Player, but not in a way that will be noticeably different for most kids.
- Is the speaker better on the Yoto Original? When the Yoto Mini first came out, they said that it wasn’t quite as strong, sound wise, as the original player. Now I don’t see that listed on their site anymore and when I tested our Yoto Original against the Yoto Mini the volume seemed about the same. It’s maybe SLIGHTLY more robust on the Original, but not so much that you’d probably ever notice.
- Is there an an Okay to Wake feature on the Yoto Mini? Yes! Both the Yoto Player and the Yoto Mini have an Okay to Wake feature – in the app, you set what time you want it to be okay to wake up and when that time comes, the display on the Yoto turns from a moon to a sun (we have our youngest daughter’s set to 7:30 a.m.). On the Yoto Player, you can also set the color of the nightlight to change when it’s Okay to Wake.
- Is there a sleep timer? Yes! It’s a newer addition, but now on any card playing, you can set a sleep timer on the app from anywhere from 15 minutes to 3 hours or set a custom timer.
- What about a Yoto Player versus a Toniebox? I’d personally choose a Yoto Player or Yoto Mini EVERY day over a Toniebox. Yoto has a much bigger collection of content then the Toniebox, plus the Yoto cards are less expensive than the Tonie figurines. I know some people love the fun of the Tonie figurines, but they’re more bulky, harder to store and transport and seem like more hassle to me. The Toniebox is also padded and feels more like a toy than a cool electronic device. My 11 year old wanted a Yoto Mini but I can’t imagine her having the least interest in a Toniebox. I think you’ll get many many more years of use out of a Yoto than you will a Toniebox.
Any other question about the Yoto Mini or Yoto Players in general? Let me know in the comments and I’m happy to help!
If you liked this post about the Yoto Mini, you might like these posts too:
- Our favorite Yoto cards
- How to create a Make Your Own Yoto Card
- How to introduce a toddler or preschooler to audiobooks
Photos by Heather Mildenstein
Are yoto cards only abridged audiobooks? I couldn’t tell while searching for cards if the books are the full versions or not. Do you find there are a wide selection for your older daughters? I am considering one for my daughters 9th bday this summer…
Depends – most of them are NOT abridged, but some like Anne of Green Gables are.
My 9 year old LOVES it. My almost 12 year old is definitely aging out of it.
I got a Yoto Mini for my kiddos a couple of months ago based on your recommendation, and we LOVE it! We use the cards but also stream audiobooks (and my five-year-old is also weirdly obsessed with Yoto Radio Daily). It’s just so simple and sturdy, and the battery seems to last forever. Anyway, we’re converts – thank you for talking me into it!
Is the music/podcast option always there or can it be limited to just the yoto cards?
I think it’s always there.
You can change what the buttons in the Yoto app so then they can’t be turned on with the player.
Is there a Black Friday deal? Can you listen to podcasts on the mini?
yes to Podcasts on the mini. There is a 10% off sale on the Yoto Player and accessories, but not the Yoto Mini.
Do you find this beneficial/better than just having kids play audio books on an Alexa? I’m trying to understand the advantage with one of these.
You aren’t the only one to ask! And truly, they’re both great options.
I love the Yoto because it’s easier for a young child to control, there is a visual element that makes it easier for them to remember what books are available, and it’s portable around the house and can be taken on trips.
Other parents prefer Yoto because they’re uncomfortable with a microphone-enabled device in their child’s room, they don’t want their child asking Alexa all sorts of questions, their child doesn’t speak clearly enough to make Alexa work well, or they don’t want to use Amazon products.
Basically, you can’t go wrong with either – it just depends on what you’re looking for!
Hi!
Just double checking here that even if the kids are streaming audiobooks from the library they can control all of that from the Yoto Mini once it is hooked up right!?
Thank you so much for this recommendation. Looking forward to it for the summer!
Love, Aimée
They’ll be able to control the volume and turn it on and off, but I don’t know that there is much they can do beyond that.
Would you be willing to link the binder you use to store the cards? That one is perfect!
It’s the one from Yoto! https://tidd.ly/3X3vQxV
We have had a Toniebox for years and LOVED it. My kids were 1.5 and 3.5 when we got it and used it daily for 4 years. We recently switched to yoto mini purely because of the longer runtime on the Myo cards (tonie creatives max out at 90mins). For us I would say that if you need more space (90mins+) or will travel regularly go for the yoto mini, but otherwise I prefer the Toniebox as a full size unit
Thank you for this thought. We’ve had Tonies for years and my 4 and 8 yo love them. I do like the idea of longer run times with the yoto so I was considering the mini for my kids.
Does the yoto mini display a clock?
Yep!
Can you stream books from Libby to this device?
Yes!
Do you happen to have a link to instructions for streaming from Libby?? We just got ours a couple of days ago and I can’t seem to figure it out…
Thanks so much for all the Yoto information, btw! You sold me on it!
You’ll just need to use it as a bluetooth speaker to stream Libby from your phone or tablet https://support.yotoplay.com/en-US/using-your-player-as-a-bluetooth-speaker-10972
Do you happen to know if the Yoto always has to have wifi and/or Bluetooth to work? Can you use it without either of those on and it essentially running on “airplane mode?”
You can!
How do you turn on airplane mode? I don’t mean to just have it disconnected, but to truly be emitting zero RF unless necessary?
I absolutely love the Yoto Mini! It’s perfect for keeping the kiddos engaged with stories during long car rides. The design is so cute and the variety of content available is impressive. Thanks for sharing all these details!