If you’re looking for a gift for a child that’s truly a game changer, consider the Toniebox. Think of it as a sort of boom box for kiddos: It’s an audio player that plays stories and songs based on the magnetized figurine (a.k.a. a tonie) that’s placed on top of it. Kids can easily increase the volume, fast-forward and rewind, and skip tracks by squeezing the “ears,” tipping the speaker, or slapping it, respectively — which means you don’t have to. It’s an entertaining alternative to screen time that can keep them occupied for a good 20 to 60 minutes, depending on the tonie, an eternity at that age. My almost-5-year-old has been using it for two years now and loves it, and his little brother, who’s 18 months old, has also started to play with it. (The older’s favorite tonies are Cars, National Geographic Dinosaurs, Peppa Pig, and Winnie the Pooh.) This Black Friday, the starter set, which comes with the Playtime Puppy tonie, a 52-minute compilation of traditional children’s songs, is on sale for 30 percent off, bringing the price down to $70. You do have to buy each tonie separately, which is where they get you, but you can find just about any character, book, or IP family that your child is into, whether that’s Paw Patrol, Disney, or Roald Dahl stories.
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