The best bedtime story app for toddlers (2026), and when to skip the screen
Full disclosure: we make one of these apps, so we're biased. We still put a screen-free speaker first, because for the last minutes before a toddler sleeps, pediatricians say no screen, and we'd rather tell you that than sell you something.
| App | Best for | Price | The screen at bedtime |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tonies | the last minutes before sleep, for ones and twos | Toniebox 2 $129.99 (Lite sets $79.99); Tonies about $20 each | None: your toddler puts a figure on the box |
| Branchlings (ours) | a picture book your toddler chooses, read together | From $9.99/month; sample stories free to read, no free trial | Read together; after the last choice the screen dims and the story carries on as audio |
| Yoto | bedtime stories in your own voice, from age 3 | Players $79.99–$149.99; cards mostly $7–$15; Yoto Club from $4.99/month | None: your child slots in a card |
| Moshi | a big library of sleep stories, sounds and music | About $13/month or $80/year in the app ($9.99 or $49.99 on its website); 7-day free trial | Audio from a phone or tablet; it can play on an Amazon Echo instead |
What pediatricians say about screens before bed
In January 2026 the American Academy of Pediatrics replaced its screen-time rules with new advice. On sleep it's clear: "Avoid screen exposures an hour before bedtime and devices in the bedroom." For babies, it says "Infants do not learn from digital media." For toddlers and preschoolers, if a family wants a limit, it suggests less than an hour a day, and says what they watch matters most. (AAP policy statement; HealthyChildren.org on sleep.)
So the honest answer for a toddler is: a screen-free player for the last part of bedtime, and if you use an app with a screen, use it together, earlier, and keep it short. That includes ours.
1. Tonies
- Best for
- the last minutes before sleep, for ones and twos
- Price
- Toniebox 2 $129.99 (Lite sets $79.99); Tonies about $20 each
- The screen at bedtime
- None: your toddler puts a figure on the box
A Toniebox is a soft, sturdy speaker with no screen. Your toddler puts a character figure (a Tonie) on top and it plays that character's stories or songs. The Toniebox 2 is officially for ages 1 and up, and adds a sleep timer with a light and a sunrise alarm. You can record your own voice onto a Creative-Tonie.
The catch: Tonies are about $20 each, so a collection adds up, and the box itself is $129.99 (Lite sets are $79.99). The tonies app's App Store privacy label lists data used to track you.
2. Branchlings ours
- Best for
- a picture book your toddler chooses, read together
- Price
- From $9.99/month; sample stories free to read, no free trial
- The screen at bedtime
- Read together; after the last choice the screen dims and the story carries on as audio
This is ours. For ones and twos, Branchlings is a picture book a grown-up reads on their lap, with nothing moving on the page and a fork or two where your toddler picks between two things. For threes and fours there are two choices at each fork (tap once to hear it, again to pick it). At both ages there are little prompts for you to talk about together.
Bedtime stories are calm on purpose: any choices come early, at least half the story is the wind-down, the screen dims after the last choice while a storyteller reads on, and the end is just goodnight, with nothing to tap and nothing new starting.
The honest part: it's still a screen. Read it before bath and pajamas, then let a paper book or a speaker do the rest. It's iPhone and iPad only, from $9.99 a month, with no free trial.
3. Yoto
- Best for
- bedtime stories in your own voice, from age 3
- Price
- Players $79.99–$149.99; cards mostly $7–$15; Yoto Club from $4.99/month
- The screen at bedtime
- None: your child slots in a card
A Yoto player has no screen, camera or microphone. Your child slots in a card to play a story or music, and you can record yourself (or Grandma) reading onto a Make Your Own card. The Yoto Player has a night light, an ok-to-wake clock and a sleep timer.
The catch: Yoto players are officially for ages 3 and up, they cost $79.99–$149.99, and cards are mostly $7–$15 each. If you have a Yoto Mini bought between November 2021 and April 2024, check the recall: there's a free battery replacement kit.
4. Moshi
- Best for
- a big library of sleep stories, sounds and music
- Price
- About $13/month or $80/year in the app ($9.99 or $49.99 on its website); 7-day free trial
- The screen at bedtime
- Audio from a phone or tablet; it can play on an Amazon Echo instead
Moshi has thousands of hours of sleep stories, lullabies, sleep sounds and calming meditations, some read by famous voices, and its App Store listing labels it for ages 0–5. You can play it on an Amazon Echo or over AirPlay, so the phone can stay out of the room.
The catch: its website and app prices don't match (about $10 or $13 a month), offline listening stops working after 24 hours without a connection, and reviewers complain about billing and slow support.
Our pick
For the last minutes before sleep, Tonies for ones and twos, or Yoto from three. If you'd like a story your toddler gets to choose, read Branchlings together earlier in the evening, and keep the screen out of the bedroom.
And keep reading paper books. Nothing on this page, ours included, beats your lap and your voice.
What we'd do today
- Move any screen story to before bath and pajamas, at least an hour before sleep.
- Keep the phone out of the bedroom. If you play audio, play it from a speaker.
- Record yourself reading their favorite book, on a Creative-Tonie or a Yoto card, for nights you're away.
- End with the same words every night. Toddlers love a ritual.
Questions
- Should toddlers use screens at bedtime?
- The American Academy of Pediatrics says to avoid screens in the hour before bed and keep devices out of the bedroom. A screen-free player, or a paper book, is the better choice for the end of bedtime.
- What age is Branchlings for?
- From babies to about 12. For babies and toddlers it's a picture book a grown-up reads aloud, with a fork or two, each with two simple choices. The AAP says babies under 18 months don't learn from screens, so a paper book is even better at that age.
- Is a Toniebox or a Yoto better for a toddler?
- The Toniebox 2 is officially for ages 1 and up, and a figure is easy for little hands. Yoto players are officially for 3 and up. Both have sleep timers and lights, and both let you record your own voice.
- Is Branchlings free?
- Branchlings is free to download, with in-app purchases. You can read the sample stories before you choose a plan. Painting your character and new stories come with a plan, from $9.99 a month. See pricing.
Try Branchlings
Your child dreams up the story and picks what happens at every fork, and Branchlings writes and paints it. Free to download, with in-app purchases. You can read the sample stories before you choose a plan. Painting your character and new stories come with a plan. Plans start at $9.99 a month, and there's no free trial. For iPhone and iPad in the US.
We checked prices and features for every app here in October 2026. Apps change fast, so double-check on each app's own site before you buy. Names of other apps are trademarks of their owners and are used here only to identify them; we're not connected with any of them.