Tonies nightlight purchased by myself in April 2023
Tonies fans! We have big news! The Tonies Nightlight has landed! This cute and comforting oversized Creative Tonie, part of the Tonies Sleepy Friends range, has a built-in nightlight and as well as being absolutely adorable, makes the perfect addition to your child’s bedtime routine. Here’s everything you need to know.
It’s no secret that we’re big fans of the audio screen-free fun offered by both Tonies and Yoto, in particular when it comes to helping children get calm and relaxed before bed. Until now, the nightlight was one of the main features missing from the Toniebox when compared to the Yoto Player, so this new release certainly takes some steps to overcome this. This May, there is a brand new addition coming to the super cute Tonies Sleepy Friends range – the Tonies Sleepy Sheep Nightlight. Officially launched on the 20th May 2023, we’ve got our hands on the Tonies Nightlight during the exclusive period at Natural Baby Shower so we can put it through its paces before it goes on general release.
If you’re tempted by the Tonies Nightlight, here’s our full verdict, as tested with my six-year-old daughter Neve.
What is the Sleepy Sheep Tonies Nightlight?
The Tonies Sleepy Sheep Tonies Nightlight is a 2-in-1 product. When placed on top of the Toniebox (sold separately), this super cute silicone sheep emits a warm glow (with a choice of brightness settings). It also plays 90 minutes of relaxing melodies such as water and nature sounds that have been preloaded to help your little one drift off to sleep.
As a Creative Tonie, it also allows you to record your own personalised sleep messages, bedtime stories or music, such as grandparents reading aloud your child’s favourite book and sync with the nightlight using the Tonies app.
The Tonies Night Light can also be used as a stand alone nightlight. With up to 100 hours of battery life from one USB charge (up to 240 hours on the lowest brightness setting), this portable nightlight makes a reassuring friend if your child wakes during the night and can be carried along during overnight toilet trips.
What’s in the box
The Tonies Night Light Tonie comes in a large box as shown below.
Inside you’ll find:
- Tonies Sleepy Sheep Nightlight
- USB charger cable (no plug)
Please note, due to the packaging, the USB charger cable is quite tucked away and potentially easy to miss. Before throwing the box in the recycling, be sure to pop open the lid above the nightlight to release the cable from the cardboard.
If for any reason you haven’t spotted it, don’t worry. The Tonies nightlight is compatible with standard USB DC 5V chargers)
Does the Tonies Nightlight require any set up?
Tonies recommend that the Tonie nightlight is charged fully before the first use, so for that reason, you may want to unpack it and charge it before gifting it to your child (as if they’re anything like Neve they’re going to want it on straight away!)
Whilst it does work straight out of the box, we decided to be sensible (never one to be a rule breaker!) and follow the instructionsl When you plug it into a USB plug to charge, a small light on the bottom of the nightlight flashes green. Once this turns to a solid green glow, the nightlight is ready to use. Ours took a good few hours for the initial charge.
How big is the Tonies Nightlight?
The Nightlight Tonie is much bigger to the other Tonies characters you may be used to – quite considerably so. This is to maximise the impact of the nightlight element, creating a warm glow in your child’s bedroom or nursery. The Tonies Sleepy Sheep Nightlight measures approx 6.5 inches / 16.5cm tall.
What is the Nightlight Tonie made from?
The Tonies Sleepy Sheep Nightlight is made from super soft silicone which is almost squishy. It’s lightweight and tactile to hold, with a slightly heavier bottom and an almost airy feel at the top.
What content is on the Nightlight Tonie?
Neve loves the Sleepy Sheep Nightlight as a stand-alone nightlight, but the true value in this Tonie character is when it’s placed on top of the Toniebox. The preloaded content has been made specifically for sleep, with water and nature sounds that offer a slow rhythmic ‘white noise’ melody without any lyrics or fast beats. We found the music to be very calming, with Neve also enjoying playing it in the background while reading her book.
We haven’t added any of our own content as of yet, but this is very straightforward to do using the Tonies app, in the same way you would using any other Creative Tonie.
Is the brightness adjustable?
Yes! The brightness level can be varied to one of four dimmable brightness levels and used on or off your Toniebox. The brightness is controlled using the button on the bottom of the sheep, pressing once to turn it on and then pressing again to click through the levels of brightness until you find your preference. The brightest setting is very bright (ideal for reading) whereas the others create more of a subtle, comforting glow.
The image below shows the levels from off (far left) to the brightest setting (far right).
Does it have a timer?
Yes. The Nightlight Tonie Sleepy Sheep has an optional sleep-timer of 30 minutes for the Night Light. This is triggered using the button on the right and turns off automatically once the 30 minutes has passed.
How does the Nightlight Tonie work?
Turn the Tonies Nightlight on and off using the on button on the left hand side at the base of the sheep. To change between the brightness settings, simply keep pressing the on button and it will increase in brightness before turning off again.
How do you charge the Tonies Nightlight?
The Tonies nighlight offers an impressive 100 hours of battery life from full charge. When the battery is running low, or if the light stops working, plug the USB cable in to the slot on the back of the nightlight (a USB charger is included). The green light on the base will flash when the nightlight is charging, and turn solid green when the battery is fully charged and ready to use.
What we love about the Tonies Nightlight
- Cute – With his oversized body and sleepy smile, the Tonies Sleepy Sheep is pretty adorable and instantly engaging for your child.
- Portable – unlike some nightlights that plug into the mains, the Tonies Nightlight is fully portable, meaning your child can pick it up and take it with them if they need to leave their room during the night.
- Range of brightness levels – Some nightlights can be too bright and keep your children awake – we love the range of settings so you can find the right brightness level for the mood or time of day.
- Calming melodies – The preloaded music is calm and relaxing, being conducive to sleep and ideal as part of a bedtime routine.
- Ability to record your own – We love that the Sleepy Sheep can be completely personalised by adding your own bedtime stories or music.
- Great battery life – The battery life is impressive, without the need to stock up on AAAs or be restricted by the location of your nearest plug socket. The USB charger is quick and simple to use.
What we would change about the Tonies Nightlight
- It’s quite big, which is great from a stand-alone nightlight point of view, but could be a bit restrictive when using it as a Creative Tonie on top of your player, particularly if you usually store your Toniebox on a shelf with limited height above.
- Being white in colour, there is a slight risk that the Tonies Nighlight could get a bit grubby. Whilst you can’t immerse the whole sheep in water due to the battery, you can wipe down the silicone with a damp cloth.
- Neve would have loved to have seen the Sleepy Bear and Sleepy Rabbit as nightlights too, but rumour has it they’re coming soon!
Where can I buy the Tonies nightlight?
At the time of writing, the Tonies Nightlight is available exclusively at Natural Baby Shower with an RRP of £34.99.
