Parents using discreet gadget for 'effortless' bed time routine 'without tantrums'

Sometimes bedtimes can be hard - any parent knows that even the best-behaved child can occasionally be a nightmare to send off to sleep, and the pressure of being able to come up with stories on the spot can make it even harder.

Story time before bed can be magical, but it would be even better if there were a way to get help with it, right? That's exactly what's offered by the excellent Toniebox, a speaker that lets children choose from pre-recorded stories, activated simply by attaching a figurine to the top of its box. It's basically a smart speaker for young kids, and it's been praised for its superb design - you can get a brilliant starter kit on Amazon right now for £134.99, and get a head-start with a bunch of included audiobooks.

The package is a Disney-themed one, so you get stories about the likes of Elsa from Frozen or Winnie the Pooh himself. It's screen-free - something any parent will know is a must before bedtime - and comes in three colours: pink, light blue and red.

There's even a special pink princess box, which features stories from all Disney princesses.

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It's super child-friendly and there are also loads more story figurines out there to collect, but you can really tell how excellent the speaker is from its user reviews. From more than 500 reviews it has an average rating of 4.6 stars, which is pretty huge, and some of these are incredibly positive.

One happy parent wrote: "Amazing value and totally worth the money we have been using this for well over a year