Donate Toys
Donated toys help make every child’s visit to Connecticut Children’s Medical Center as comforting and enjoyable as possible. Throughout the year, we gratefully accept toy donations for children of all ages, which we distribute to patients around the holidays and at different times of the year.
Individuals and organizations interested in conducting a toy drive are asked to adhere to some basic guidelines. We request that donated toys:
- Are new and not gift-wrapped
- Are appropriate for hospitalized infants, children, adolescents or teenagers (toy guns and other weapons are not appropriate)
- Do not pose a safety hazard, such as those with sharp edges or small, removable or easily breakable parts
For our patients’ safety, we are unable to accept used toys or stuffed animals.
For your convenience, please see our list of suggested items appropriate for children of all ages:
- LEGO kits – Anything LEGO brand
- Infant toys – mobiles, rattles, light-up or sound toys; anything Sassy or Bright Starts brand
- Toddler toys – Fisher Price, Little People
- Action figures
- Crayola brand art supplies – crayons, markers, colored pencils, paint
- Teen DVDs (new releases)
- Infant-safe stuffed animals (small and medium-sized with embroidered eyes; no beads or plastic) recently purchased with tags or box
- Musical light-up/cause and effect toys
- Fisher Price/Playskool infant/toddler toys
- Infant crib soothers and mobiles (no fabric)
- Taggie blankets (12″ x 12″) and toys
- Board books, plastic links, rattles, Oball toys
- Stacking cups and shape sorters
- Duplo blocks
- Matchbox cars
- Small plastic construction vehicles
- Fisher Price doctor kits
- Plastic accessories for play kitchens (food, pots and pans, cash register, small appliances)
- Baby dolls, doll strollers and bottles (diverse, all plastic)
- Little People toys and characters
- Plastic animals and dinosaurs
- Any toys with these popular children’s characters:
- Superheroes (especially Batman, Spiderman, Superman, Hulk)
- Dora/Diego
- Elmo/Sesame Street
- Disney characters
- Paw Patrol
- My Little Pony
- LEGO kits – small and large kits for different age groups
- Erector model kits and building sets
- Action figures: WWE wrestlers, superheroes, Avengers, Disney
- I Spy books
- Over-the-door basketball hoops
- Self-contained craft kits
- Play-doh, bubbles, and no-spill bubbles (small containers)
- Card games – Uno, Monopoly Deal, Sushi Go
- Adult therapeutic coloring/Mandala coloring books
- Stuffed animals (small and medium-sized) – recently purchased with tags or box
- Word search, crossword or Sudoku puzzle books and handheld games
- Headphones
- Journals
- Nail polish kits
- Fleece tie blankets
- Character coloring books
- Playdoh (small containers)
- Washable markers (unscented)
- Crayola window and fabric markers (unscented)
- Crayola crayons (smaller boxes – unscented)
- Colored pencils
- Velvet poster kits
- Adult therapeutic coloring/Mandala coloring books
*We request that all crayons and other children’s art materials have this label: “Conforms to ASTM D-4236,” or similar language. This label means that the formulas of the crayons and other art materials have been reviewed by a toxicologist for chronic hazards and are labeled appropriately. Crayola is our preferred brand for crayons, markers, pencil and finger paints.
- Board games
- Handheld games: Catch Phrase, Simon, Bop-it
- Card games – Uno, Monopoly Deal, Rat a Tat Cat, Gubs, Sushi Go, Apples to Apples, etc.
- Any new movie/cartoon releases on DVD: G, PG & PG-13 and popular cartoon DVDs (Mickey Mouse, Dora, Paw Patrol, Peppa Pig)
- Games for Xbox 360, Wii, Nintendo DS/3 DS
- Noise-canceling headphones
In small denominations ($5, $10):
- iTunes
- Target
- Walmart
- Amazon
- Google Play
We appreciate toy donations well in advance of the holidays. Patient entertainment, Santa’s visit, carolers and gift distributions keep Connecticut Children’s very busy in the final weeks of the year. November and early December are ideal for receiving holiday gift contributions.
For more information about donating items or organizing a toy drive to benefit Connecticut Children’s Medical Center, please contact our child life specialists via email or at 860.545.9880.
