Guidelines for Donations of Toys

Cash donations are used to purchase items as outlined below.

Toys may be used as:

gifts for individual patients which they will take home with them on discharge from the hospital.
gifts for shared use by the Play Education Department in the play room or with individual work with patients. These donations remain the property of the Play Education Department and are used in an ongoing manner with patients.
gifts that are used for patients admission bags (gift bags given to patients on admission) and stay with the patient in the hospital and on discharge.
gifts for patients at Christmas, Easter or Birthdays

The hospital adheres to strict protocols for infection control and safety. All toys that are used in the hospital environment for play education purposes must be:

Safe and age appropriate
Able to be cleaned.

Gifts that are unable to be cleaned in the hospital environment for example those that contain fabric (soft toys/ teddy bears) may be given to patients on an individual basis and remain with the patient at the bedside. Patients take these gifts home with them on discharge. If they are left at the hospital, they are disposed of.

The Play Education Department accepts suitable second hand toys for use in the hospital.

Only new toys are given to patients as gifts.

Items that are suitable to give to patients as gifts or to use with patients in the hospital might include:

Babies 0-2 years

Play gyms, rattles, musical toys, early manipulative toys such as plastic rings, blocks stacking cups, activity centres, push along toys, play mirrors; light plastic balls hard books or plastic books, plastic or wooden mobiles, musical toys.

Toddlers 2-3 years

Pop up toys, shape sorters, crayons, cars, books, pull along toys, dramatic toys such as doll houses, tea sets, large plastic animals, petrol stations, car ramps, large cars, simple jigsaws, beach bucket and spade, plastic bath toys.

Pre-School 3-5 years

Art Sets (pasting, painting, drawing materials), train sets, blocks, Duplo or other simple building sets, simple board games, (egg memory, lotto, picture dominoes, ), small doll houses, trucks, cars, farm or jungle animals, plastic dinosaurs, simple jigsaws and puzzles, car mats, puppets, books, imaginary play such as shopping baskets and plastic food, cash register, doctors sets, quoits, threading beads, textas.

School Age (6-10 years)

Lego, computer games, construction kits, wooden kits such as model cars or planes, jewellery making kits, art kits for older children, harder puzzles and jigsaws, books, sewing kits, board games, footballs, basket balls, skipping rope, hoola hoop, craft books, board games such as Monopoly, Twister, Scrabble, Connect 4, Pictionary.

Adolescents

Vouchers for CD’s or general vouchers, books, adult puzzles and jigsaws, books, diaries, stationary sets, art materials, cross stitch, knitting and tapestry sets, good quality drawing materials such as Derwent pencils, journals, art pastels. Games such as draughts, chess, Yahtzee,

Donations will be allocated to areas as requested or as deemed appropriate by Play Education staff.

Further information is available from the Play Eduction Department on 9594 4171.

Published Date: November 23, 2009
Printed from http://www.monashchildrens.org.au/page/Support_Us/Make_a_Donation/Guidelines_for_Donations_of_Toys/
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