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
- Todder toys – Fisher Price, Little People
- Toys or action figures with the following characters:
- Paw Patrol
- Disney Princesses
- Frozen
- Peppa Pig
- Doc McStuffins
- Superheroes
- Crayola brand art supplies – crayons, markers, colored pencils, paint
- Craft kids
- Melissa & Doug brand items
- Play-doh and bubbles (especially smaller “fun-size” containers for both)
- Card games – Uno, Monopoly Deal, Sushi Go
- High detail or “grown up” coloring books
- Gift cards for Walmart or Target in $5 amounts are also appreciated for our teens
- NEW stuffed animals (small & medium sized) – must be recently purchased and have store tags or box
- Fisher Price/Playskool infant/toddler toys
- Fisher Price/Little Tikes:
- Airplane, bus, fire truck, train
- Little People
- Farm with animals
- House with people
- Race track with cars
- Dollhouse with people
- Infant crib toys **no fabric**
- Musical crib toy (such as Fisher-Price Rainforest Waterfall or Peek-a-Boo Soother)
- Wimmer-Ferguson Infant Stim-Mobile To Go
- Wimmer-Ferguson Infant Stim-Mobile with high contrast and colors for crib
- Wimmer-Ferguson Double-Feature Mirror
- Interactive musical or light-up toys, nesting cups, put-in/take-out sorting toys, rattles, etc.
- Rings & Things Infant Rattle from the Manhattan Toy Company
- Infant activity center: ALEX Toys – ALEX Junior, Sound and Play Busy Table Baby Activity Center
- Infant play mats
- Taggie blankets (12″ x 12″)
- Toddler “board” books – new only
- Baby dolls for newborns and infants (all cloth)
*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.
- Duplo blocks
- Playdoh (small containers)
- NEW stuffed animals (small & medium sized) – must be recently purchased and include store tags or box
- Washable markers (unscented)*
- Crayola Window Markers (unscented)*
- Crayons (smaller boxes, unscented)*
- Character coloring books
- 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)
- Littlest Pet Shop
- My Little Pony
- Transformers
- Pillow pals
- Anything with these characters:
- Superheros (esp. Batman, Spiderman, Superman, Hulk)
- Dora/Diego
- Mickey & Minnie Mouse
- Elmo/Sesame Street
- Disney characters
*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.
- LEGO kits – small and large kits for different age groups
- Erector sets
- Barbie dolls & outfits
- Card games – regular playing cards, Uno, Old Maid, Go Fish, Monopoly Deal, etc.
- Small electronic games – such as handheld versions of popular board games, word search, etc.
- Playdoh (small containers)
- NEW stuffed animals (small & medium sized) – must be recently purchased and have store tags or box
- Washable markers (unscented)*
- Thin line markers in colors (unscented)*
- Crayola Window Markers (unscented)*
- Crayons (smaller boxes – unscented)*
- Colored pencils*
- Velvet poster kits
- Character coloring books
- Action figures: WWE wrestlers, superheroes, Avengers, Disney
- Littlest Pet Shop
- My Little Pony
- Transformers
- Craft kits for all ages*
- I Spy 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.
- Word search, crossword or Sudoku puzzle books
- Headphones or earbuds
- Journals
- iTunes gift cards
- Craft kits: wood projects, model cars or airplanes, jewelry kits, art kits, science kits and sand arts. Age appropriate as indicated on box.*
*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.
- Any new movie/cartoon releases: G, PG & PG-13
- Disney/Nickelodeon TV shows on DVD
- Dora/Diego
- Mickey Mouse Clubhouse
- Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends
NEW ONLY
- T-shirts (child & adult sizes*)
- Sweatpants or lounge pants (child and adult sizes*)
- Onesies, sleepers and stretchies (infant and toddler)
- Comfortable clothing for boys and girls
- Underwear and socks in all sizes*
*Children and adult sizes, small through XL
In small denominations
- iTunes
- Target
- Walmart
- Amazon
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 the Connecticut Children’s Foundation at 860.837.5700.
