Our Services
Toy Donations
Play experiences can help children to cope and adjust to illness and hospitalization. Play is one way the Child Life and Volunteer Services Department at Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh meets the developmental, psychosocial, emotional and educational needs of our patients. You can help by donating new toys, games and other play-time supplies. We cannot accept used stuffed animals. Toy donations are accepted at the information desk in the main lobby 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Here are some recommendations:
Infants and toddlers
Pre-school age children
School age children
Teenagers
What to avoid
Infants and toddlers
- Rattles and squeeze toys
- Musical toys
- Unbreakable baby mirrors
- Crib toys
- Musical mobiles
- Picture books
- Stacking and sorting toys
- Dolls
- Large cars and trucks
- Teething toys
- Sippy cups
Pre-school age children
- Building toys (large Legos®, Bristle Blocks®)
- Cars and trucks
- Dolls and doll clothes
- Puzzles
- Puppets
- Books
- Crayons
- Markers
- Coloring Books
- Bubbles
- Play-Doh®
- Music-making toys
- Story and song tapes
- Lullaby tapes
- Stickers
- Viewmasters®
- Etch-a-Sketch®
- Pegs and pegboards
- New stuffed animals
- Dramatic play toys (telephones, dress-up clothes)
- Videotapes (G-rated movies, Disney movies, Barney®, cartoons)
- Simple board games (Candyland®, Chutes and Ladders®, Memory®)
School age children
- Craft sets
- Stickers
- Nerf toys
- Playing cards
- Hand-held games
- Dolls and doll clothes (Barbie®)
- Playmobile sets
- Matchbox cars
- Comic books
- Books
- Models
- Jigsaw puzzles
- Clothing
- Electronic games (cartridges for Super NES®, Sega Genesis®)
- Collectibles (rock collections, magnets, sports collectibles)
- Games (Trouble®, Monopoly®, Connect Four®, Sorry®)
- Activity books (connect dots, crosswords, word search)
- Videotapes (G-rated movies, cartoons)
- Building kits (Legos®, Tinker Toys®, Erector Set®)
Teenagers
- Wallets
- Calendars and posters
- Mirrors
- Grooming kits
- Address books and journals
- Models
- Walkmans
- Nail polish
- Hair accessories
- Athletic equipment
- Music (contemporary CDs and cassettes)
- Videotapes (G, PG, PG-13 movies)
- Board games (Backgammon, trivia games, Uno®)
- Electronic games and game cartridges
- Magazines (Seventeen, Sports Illustrated)
- Craft kits (cross-stitch, wood-working, paint by numbers)
- Computer software (Windows®)
What to avoid
In the hospital, infection is always a risk. To protect our patients, we can accept only new items or those items that are clean and in excellent condition. When purchasing or making toys for our patients, please avoid the following:
- Used toys and used stuffed animals
- Toys stuffed with shredded foam, small pellets or beans. Look for items filled with fabric or solid foam
- Toys with detachable parts (like button eyes) that could be removed and swallowed or inhaled
- Electrical, spark-producing or friction-producing toys
- Fragile toys that can break into small pieces with sharp edges
- Toys made of glass or brittle plastic
- Toys with sharp edges or protrusions
- Toys or craft kits with toxic paints or glues
- Toys with parts that can pinch fingers or pull hair
- Humorous medical toys and games. These may cause fear and misconceptions
- Toy guns and other violent toys
