I was in no way compensated for this post, we are just really enjoying our Yoto. This post contains affiliate links. I appreciate your support.

As many of you know, Rob and I decided that we would avoid screens with Zoey until she was two. All of the research we did on brain development, communication, and independent play, made us wary of shows and iPads. Actually, we do not even own an iPad. We also wanted to avoid the zombification that many kids seem to get when they are watching TV or playing on a tablet.

Now that Zoey is two she is getting a little more interested in screens, especially since Rob and I use our phones pretty consistently for work. However, Zoey does not ask to watch TV or beg too hard to use a phone and with William in the mix, our no screens policies are going to last a little bit longer.

Find a list of 43 No Screen Toddler Activities here.

That is why we love our Yoto. We know Zoey loves using our phones and computers because they are interactive and she has control over the buttons. She has complete autonomy when it comes to the Yoto as she is able to decide what she wants to listen to, what colors to display, and how loud to put the sound.

Rob and I feel good about the Yoto (even though we joke that it is the gateway screen) because it is interactive, uses LED lights rather than blue light, we can use it together, and it is wholesomely educational.

We have had our Yoto for about three weeks now (you might have seen us open it on Instagram) and it has truly become part of our daily routine in more than one way.

Morning Wake Up. We have had our eye on an Ok to Wake Clock for some time, but held out the hope that Zoey would start sleeping past 5 again. While she is making it to about 5:30 more regularly, we would love her to sleep later. The Yoto has an automatic feature that sets the display to a moon at 7pm and then to a sun at 7am.

This change has sparked a lot of discussion with Zoey about when she is allowed to be up versus when she should be going to bed, lots of looking out the window to see the moon and then the sunrise, and lots of chat about why William gets up in the middle of the night when he should be sleeping. The conversations we have in the morning are definitely full of lots of “Whys?”.

We have yet to put the Yoto in her room as a full on sleep clock, but I think we will in the next few weeks and work on setting up that routine of when she can and cannot come out of her room at night or during quiet time.

Morning Play. Like her dad, Zoey usually wakes up super hungry so she has first breakfast pretty quickly. Once she gets through second breakfast and is dressed for the day, we have gotten into the habit of doing some learning with Yoto. The 100 first words card cracks us up as the woman speaking has a British accent and Zoey copies her in the same voice. With the simple image that pops up on the display, Zoey is making quick associations between the word and the object.

The other cards we love for that morning play time are the animal sounds, which we top off with full body movements of that specific animal and the Nursery Rhymes card for which we have to do all the song motions and listen to the Itsy Bitsy Spider on repeat.

Lunch. Over the summer, I would play podcasts for Zoey, but that would involve 1. Locating my phone, and 2. She would be asking to see pictures on it. We both loved listening to little stories during lunches as they were energetically geared toward kids with sound effects and funny events.

With the Yoto, we can still listen to a story or podcast, but I do not need to pull out my phone and have a little fight about her using the phone when she should be eating. I can just pop in the story card she chose, or have her put it in more likely, and let it play in the background while she eats and William winds down with a bottle for his nap.

The Yoto starter pack comes with a few stories, one of which is about a baby that comes over to play. Guess which one we listen to every day with our little mama?

Early Evening (before dinner). The Yoto came with a Children’s Radio card that plays curated music. It has a mix of classical songs, popular children’s songs, Disney songs, and holiday music. We have been having regular evening dance parties where Zoey and I flit around the house to the music and William practically jumps out of his Exersaucer in excitement.

We are all exhausted after 10 minutes.

That’s a lie.

Zoey is two. She is never tired. I’m tired.

With Zoey being so fiercely independent at two and a half years old, the fact that she has complete autonomy over the Yoto just thrills her. She is able to choose which card to listen to when, how loud or soft to put the music, is able to switch “tracks” within one card, and change the light brightness and colors.

Pushing and twisting buttons? That’s a win for any toddler.

Yoto also comes with a free app that helps us control the volume on the box if Zoey twists the knob too far and lets us change the card with a tap. There is also a feature where we can make our own cards if we want to record a grandparent reading a story (which would be so cool), or make our own playlist of songs we know Zoey adores.

One issue that Rob and I have with buying any new toys for the kids is that they grow out of them or bored of them so incredibly quickly. For instance, the toy vacuum lasted two weeks. With Yoto, we know we can order and make cards that grow with our kids’ developmental needs and interests. So, when Zoey is old enough to appreciate the Roald Dahl stories, you know we are going to jump all over those cards.

To save $12 on your Yoto and Starter Pack, use code KS8YH1H7K at checkout!

Looking for more no screen activity ideas of toddlers? Get your free 43 No Screen Toddler Activities list here. You might also like these posts:

• No Screen Toddler Gift Guide
• Easy Toddler Activities to Keep You Busy All Summer
• Weekend Toddler Schedule
• Zoey is Two!

Some of our other two year old screen free favorites: 

• Anything related to water, especially a bucket of water with a toothbrush and some bubbles.
• iPlayBaby Hat
• Cutting Food – This one is good for hours of fun.
• Rock Palette Puzzle
• Jellycat Lamb
• Small Elmo – She has only watched about 10 minutes of Elmo and is obsessed with her stuffed animal.
• Play-Doh
• Washable Paint Pots
• Easel Paper – Her favorite thing is to lay on it and have us trace her body.
• Shopping Cart – She runs circles around the house pushing her cart.

Brooke Selb

I’m Brooke Selb, a Personal Trainer and Health Coach specializing in helping busy moms and moms to be to easily juggle mom life with family friendly recipes, and easy exercise routines to help you achieve your fitness goals that fit in with your already busy life with sound nutritional advice.