A few people have asked what the difference is between the Yoto player and the Yoto mini, so I thought it was time I put together a quick run through of both players to help you decide which one is right for you!
Let's start with an overview... what is a Yoto player?
A Yoto player is an audio player for children. It works by inserting credit card style cards into the top of the player. Each card varies in price, but most come in around the £6 mark. We have one for Arlo and he has had so much value from his player. I honestly couldn't be without it.
We have a standard sized version as we have had it for some time long before the mini was released. Every single night we listen to the 'Calm It Down' card before bed and it is so ultra relaxing that Arlo is usually asleep in minutes after it comes on.
What are the similarities between a Yoto Player and Yoto mini?
Both players are designed to be operated easily by children. They both contain a large slot to easily insert the cards and two orange buttons for changing volume and moving tracks. The standard Yoto has the dials on the top and the mini has the dials on the front. They both use the same cards, so there's no need to buy duplicates.
One of our favourite features when Arlo was younger was the ability to use white noise and sleep sounds free on the Yoto app. I am pleased to say that this feature exists for both the standard and mini Yoto. If you regularly stay in hotels or visit relatives for overnight visits, having this feature on the more transportable mini version is definitely a bonus!
You can play:
White noise
Pink noise
Brown noise
Vacuum Cleaner
Noisy fan
Devon Hedgerow
Light rain
Lake Venados, Argentina
Kirthar National Park, Pakistan
Camping in Rural France
Thundery Rain
Soundscape
Binaural Beats
These are all totally free and accessible via the app (no card needed).
Also available via the app on the standard and mini versions are the Yoto podcasts and Yoto radio stations. It is truly surprising how much content Yoto provides for free. These podcasts and radio stations come in a variety of languages and subjects, so there is something to suit every family and child. Each podcast starts with an announcement of the day and month and they even allow you to send in a message for your child’s birthday which they will play live on the daily podcast show!click the right orange button.
The Yoto Player has a pixel screen at the front which shows an image relating to the content playing so pre-readers can select content easily. For example, if they are trying to find 'incy wincy spider' they just need to keep turning the button until the image of a spider appears.
The screen also displays the time and an image of a sun or moon. This helps children to identify the time of day and is a great way to explain to children the concept of day time / sleep time. The timings can be altered on the app which means you can adjust the time the moon appears to suit the bedtime of your child. For example: the moon is showing so it must be bed time! Or, the sun isn’t showing yet so get back into bed!
One of my favourite features is using the Yoto Player as a Bluetooth speaker. This is possible both on the standard and mini version and means you can play audio directly from your phone through the speaker without adding it to a card first. This is great for playing music from places like Spotify or Apple Music in the garden, park or beach or if you want to play audio directly from a YouTube video etc.
Both the standard and mini version are only available in white, however both have jackets available meaning you can turn them into various covers by putting a cover on them, a bit like a phone case. You can also use a standard 3.5mm headphone cable with both the standard and mini players.
Now, let's talk about differences!
The standard Yoto has a night light, but the mini does not.
The mini is perfectly portable, so ideal if you travel regularly or if your little one would enjoy listening via headphones when out and about. Last year we went on holiday and I forgot to pack our Yoto - I was so stressed as I was convinced it would mean a week of sleepless nights but you can listen to all the audio you have purchased direct from your phone, too. I do think investing in a mini is a great alternative though!
The Yoto mini has significantly longer play back time between charges (10 hours for the standard player vs a whopping 20 hours for the mini Yoto!).
The standard Yoto charges on a magnetic charging dock, whereas the mini has a USB-C cable for charging.
So which one is right for me?!
There you go! A comprehensive overview of the similarities and differences between the Yoto Player and Yoto Mini! As you can see, there aren't very many differences between the two and I think which one you choose will be decided by the main function.
If you plan to leave your player static in a bedroom or living room, a standard version is probably the better choice, however if you intend to take your player out and about, a mini is definitely the way to go. Also, if budget is a consideration, a mini would be a great choice as it contains most of the same features but at a significantly reduced cost. Since the cards work on both, it is also possible to grab a standard size for use at home and a mini version for use while travelling!
Drop me a comment below and let me know what are your favourite Yoto features and which one did you chose and why?
You can find our full range of Yoto players and cards by clicking here.
Thank you to @Charrrliiee, @clothmadmum1993 and @OurPlayDaze for the beautiful photos!