Is the Yoto worth it? 30 Parents Weigh In

I’ve been talking about our Yoto Player for more than 3 years – we LOVE Yoto and they’ve been a fantastic addition to our family life.

(If you’re curious about Yoto, I have a whole Yoto 101 post here!).

But almost every time I talk about them, some version of this question comes up:

“Yoto Players seem like such a money pit to me . . . how are they different/worth it versus what a phone can do?”

I totally get this because I get this question ALL THE TIME.

And if you don’t want a Yoto player, it won’t hurt my feelings!

I think a Yoto is hard to understand how amazing it is until you actually have one and have tried it out.

The two big things are how independent it is (you don’t have to switch stories for your kids, set it up every time, have your device tied up, etc) and how safe it is (I would never give my kids my phone to take to bed in their room to listen).

I shared that question on Instagram and asked other families who had had similar concerns to weigh in.

Here are some of the messages I got back (and for the record, I didn’t hear from ONE PARENT who said they wished they hadn’t gotten a Yoto. I’m not saying that there is no one who buys a Yoto and then doesn’t like it, but in my experience, it is a VERY rare phenomenon):

Is the Yoto worth it? 30 Parents Weigh In

• I thought I would feel this way but now I love it. Doing the subscription for a year and using your code has been so worth it. We get 2 Yoto credits a month plus free shipping although the subscription plans are changing and expanding right now. Yoto sometimes has close out prices on some cards that I will add with our Yoto Club picks making my money go further. Don’t look at Amazon for the price of the cards. You won’t save money.

• I was worried it would be a waste of money but my daughter loves it! We started her with the Beatrix Potter collection and gradually added cards on birthdays and christmas. It’s great because she can select what card she wants and turn it on herself. It’s a worry free thing for me since I know she can’t accidentally come across inappropriate content. We bought it for her 3rd birthday and a year and half later it’s still used almost daily. Also, she still likes to read paper books with us too!

• We really really love ours! My kids use the big one and mini daily for YEARS. Yes the cards are spendy but in my mind it’s worth it!!

• l agree!! I was on the fence about buying one for our four year old. He’s our baby and the age gap between him and his older siblings is significant (they’re teens) so l knew he would be the only kid to use it. Best. Money. Spent. We loved the large size so much that I bought the smaller size for travel and riding in the car. My niece and nephew also have Yoto players so we swap cards sometimes!

• Hands down the best device I could have gotten for my kids. We all absolutely love them and couldn’t be without them. My kids are getting exposed to so much rich literature, language and vocabulary! We love Yoto!

• I think too that it doesn’t have to be a money pit. There’s so many free podcasts and the resale value for cards is so high. Because shipping on the cards is relatively expense used cards sell for $1-2 under retail. I’ve sold cards on online BST AND Facebook marketplace and they go quick. Many people would say that an audiobook subscription is a money pit since you don’t have a physical call to resell. sure it’s more than the library but I don’t want my kid to have to access a tablet or phone.

• Me!! I saw you post about the yoto/ yoto mini for a while and kept saying no. We did audiobooks from my phone using the Libby app to a bluetooth speaker or books on cd from the library. It worked. BUT it meant I was always needed, my phone was being used so I could do my own things. If I used my iPad for the audiobook my kid often tried to get the iPad or still needed me to go back in the story, start new story, etc. she didn’t listen to things for long because I had a lot of rules to make it work for me. I bought her a yoto mini and as a VERY frugal person my only regret was not getting it sooner for her. She uses it independently in the stroller while I run and I get to listen to my own stuff on my headphones. My kiddo independently uses it in the car or on a plane with headphones and doesn’t need me at all. It’s used dally when she lays down for bed time, nap, or quiet time. I don’t have to have the same rules because it doesn’t interrupt me if she wants to listen to the same chapter over and over for swap cards mid story because she does it independently. She now would listen to audiobooks from the time she wakes to the time she goes to bed if I allowed it. We do the yearly membership and have gotten cards that way along with buying when there are sales or doing make your own cards. We have swapped cards with a friend and some times I just say no to a card. Example, my daughter would love that card with a 3 minute picture book on it but I know she would listen to it a couple times and be done forever. It does cost money, you COULD spend a very large amount of money but you can put limits and I find there is a lot of value in independence, not frustrating me/easier for me, and my child LOVING listening to stories. Another way we build card libraries is buying cards on sale and put them in stockings, Easter baskets, a small gift for something. Oh and I don’t want to give my 6 year old my phone or even an old phone with audiobooks on it. My 6 year old would destroy the phone when she’s taking it everywhere with her. The yoto mini seems far more study for kids and far easier to use without a screen. I don’t want my 6 year old glued to a screen.

• My 5 year old LOVES her Yoto player she got at Christmas! Even more than I had expected. She listens to it every night and even will carry it all around the house listening, too. She shares a room with an older sister (8 years old) and they take turns choosing what to listen to! It’s really so great!! (As you know!)

• À yoto is hands down the Best Purchase I have ever made as a mother for the last 10 years. We are considering getting the big ones as well so they’re stationary in their room and have their minis for travel. There is literally room for this in every family! Even if you aren’t big readers you can still use it in the car or at night time before bed. You also don’t have to buy Yoto accessories.. we have used the aftermarket ones just fine!

• We only have a few cards. The kids enjoy those but also love the daily podcast!

• It’s the independence for me. So glad we got one. I no longer get bugged to put in a book from my phone.

• I was worried about it being a money pit. Before I had the Yoto I thought why would I pay for cards when I can just use the library (ours has a great catalog). I got the mini on sale last year and have the Yoto club for 1 year. My 3 year old absolutely loves it. There are so many options of stories for her to listen to but she is also at the age where she loves her favorites over and over. I don’t plan to renew the Yoto club after a year because we have SO many cards. It is definitely worth it though!

• It was hard for me to spend the money when so much content is cheaper or even free elsewhere. I’m SO happy I did it. Made my life so much easier and the kids listening is through the roof. So good.

• Getting the .99 cent audiobooks on Libro FM (via your suggestion) to make my own Yoto cards was a game changer. Feels like we never pay much for our favorite books. On birthdays or before big trips we’ll buy the real Yoto cards but Libro FM was a huge game changer.

• My husband didn’t think our (at the time) 2 year old would “get” audiobooks, but it has grown on him and he loves it, has full control over what he listens to, has memorized stories and songs. We loved the original so much that we bought the mini recently so that we can bring it on trips (we use the okay to wake setting at bedtime), and it’s the only way he falls asleep when not in bed (i.e. in the car).

• I thought the SAME thing. Honestly LOVE the yoto player. He listens to so much peppa pig that he’s getting an accent and it’s hilarious. For me, buying the cards can be hard for $10 for like 30 mins of an audio card. That’s fair! But the payoff has been there in the time he spends listening to it. In room time. In the car when I want to listen to my own adult podcast. I’m loving it.

• I was concerned that the YOTO would be a money pit, but I now actually appreciate having YOTO cards as a gift option for my kids. They don’t take up much space and my kids love getting new ones. They are great for stockings, Easter baskets, a fun Valentine’s Day surprise, etc. Sometimes each kid gets one and sometimes it’s a family card. Also, a physical book with a make your own YOTO card of your voice reading the book makes a great gift for family that live far away.

• I worried about this too before taking the plunge. There are lots of ways to save money using them. Also I’m in a BST group on Facebook and they resell for almost as much as retail so if you buy a card and don’t end up loving it or kids outgrow it, you can sell it!

• We love Yoto because we have a strict “no screens in rooms or upstairs” policy but my kids love to fall asleep to audiobooks and listen when they hang in their rooms.

• We LOVE our Yoto. Best Buy of the year for our boys. Easy for them to listen to at night, love the daily Yoto podcast and I feel so at ease with them using it on their own

• I love our Yoto! The amount of listens each card gets makes me feel like they’re a bargain. Plus I never have to monitor their usage unlike a tablet/phone etc. The make your own cards are great too because we can turn them into different books when they get tired of one. Cuts down on clutter and still lets them listen to most everything they want.

• I felt the same way. I couldn’t picture what would be so great about it. And it sounded so complicated. But I went for it and my kids have love them!! They love listening to the daily radio as well as their cards. I absolutely LOVE how easy it is to make your own card (now that I know how…it’s like magic!)

• Re: $ argument, there is boatloads of free content out there with all kinds of excellent classic stories. We only have bought a few cards in 2 years of owning a Yoto and listen to more books than my kids can ever get through, thanks to public domain options.

• The tip from you to subscribe to LibroFM helps with the cost! This month with my credit ($10-12? Maybe?) I got the first Whatever After audio books which are over $50. I have older teens, l’m keeping my younger kids away from screens for many more years so it’s helpful to have a yoto! Just enough visual to keep my kids interested but not an iPad.

• I was skeptical that it was “that amazing.” We have been using CD players for my older boys. I got the Yoto mini on sale before Christmas last year for my 5 year old and it is “that amazing!” I don’t have to worry about scratched discs, it can come in the car, she can do everything she needs to without my help. My older boys have both asked me if I can get them Yotos too.

• Absolutely love our Yoto. I love playing stories for my kids but HATE having my phone tied up to do it. And def not giving them a phone unsupervised.

• I didn’t know how much we would love it but both our boys (6 and 3) adore their Yotos. They are listened to daily and listen to stories on repeat. I personally think it helped our 6 yo to read much faster because he has listened to so many audio books. I rave about the Yoto to everyone. It is one of the top gifts we have ever given them!!

• The yoto is worth every penny for our family! We had the membership the first year & really stocked up! I rotate them like I do our toys! It helps limit screen time & gets heavy usage in the car.

• I felt this way when they first came out and even after you first talked about them. We’re big library users and I don’t spend $10 on books all the time. But then our third child was nearing age 3 and Christmas came along and I couldn’t think of a single gift idea for any family member. With her third birthday approaching I decided to give Yoto a shot and it’s been AMAZING to tell family, friends etc “She’d love a Yoto card” when asked for birthday or Christmas gift ideas. We are so obsessed with ours we even recently got a mini as well. 2.5 years strong Yoto loving family

• My husband was a yoto skeptic, he hates the idea of a ‘closed’ system where you have to use their product but the make your own cards open up everything! You can get books from Libro or have family/friends read aloud. We are full time yoto proselytizers now! (We have a 5 year old)

• We LOVE our Yotos. All of our boys listen at night. Listening has improved their reading levels at school (which isn’t something people discuss, really) and they’ve finished whole series that would’ve taken much longer for all three of them to read individually (Harry Potter, Percy Jackson, Wingfeather, etc). I LOVE that there is no screen because my kids aren’t getting free access to a phone.

I hope those responses help you make a decision about whether or not Yoto is right for your family!

And if you have any other questions about Yoto, feel free to leave them in the comments and I’ll do my best to answer them all!

If you liked this post about why I (and 30 other parents) think a Yoto player is worth it, you might like these other posts:

• Yoto 101: Everything You Need to Know About a Yoto Player
• How to Make Yoto Card on Your Computer
• The Best Audiobooks for 1st and 2nd Graders