Child Life Wish List
Miller Children's Hospital Long Beach depends on the generosity of our friends in the community as we strive to provide the finest medical care for our patients and their families. Donations of new toys, books, stuffed animals, craft materials, etc. are used throughout the year at Miller Children's. They may be used in the hospital's numerous playrooms or to comfort and entertain a child during the hospital experience. Donations also allow the patients to select a gift following the completion of a procedure or to celebrate a significant event such as a birthday, holiday, or the end of treatment.
Please bring your donation with your name and address attached, between 7 a.m. – 9 p.m. any day of the week, to the lobby of Miller Children’s Hospital Long Beach at:
2801 Atlantic Ave.
Long Beach, CA 90806
If you have any questions, please contact the Child Life Department at (562) 933-8060 or (562) 933-8029.
Download a printable PDF of Miller Children’s patients’ Wish List to take with you when you are shopping.
Wish List from Patients at Miller Children's Hospital Long Beach:
Items to Help Children Cope During Medical Procedures
These items are used by Child Life Specialists during medical procedures. By helping the child focus on various play items, pain and anxiety decreases.
- Musical or push button books
- Discovery Toys Whiz Kids Game
- Balls that have such things as beads, bells, etc., inside so they capture child's attention
- Hand puppets (non-fabric and washable)
- Pop-up books
- Musical push button toys
- Viewmasters with cartridges
- Squishy stress balls
Toys for Children in Isolation Rooms
Children who are in isolation rooms are unable to come out of their rooms. Items taken into their rooms must be easily disinfected or be left with the child for him/her to take home.
- Magna Doodles
- Etch-A-Sketch
- Craft kits
- Small Lego and Kinex sets
Toys for Infants and Toddlers
There are many children in the hospital that are in this age group (1 month - 3 years). Items that work best are those with few pieces and are easily disinfected (no cloth items).
- Rattles
- Infant mobiles (may not have cloth items attached)
- Cribside mounted toys (washable ones such as Leap Pad Dreamscapes Soother)
- Squeak toys
- Rubber balls - all sizes
- Infant crib gyms (hand and foot activated)
- Shapes puzzle box
- Pounding toys (pound and ball set, hammering bench)
- Infant activity centers
- Books - board or soft plastic
- Toys with lights and sounds
- Pop-up toys
- Busy boxes
- Wind-up toys
- Electronic/push button toys
- Snap and lock beads
- Shapes and blocks
- See & Says
- V-Tech toys
- Infant bouncy seats (vibrating)
- Fisher Price items (Ocean Wonders Aquarium, Symphony Star Stacker, etc)
Books/Magazines/Calendars
- Magazine subscriptions: Sports Illustrated, Sports Illustrated for Kids, Disney Adventures, Teen People, Rolling Stone, Highlights, National Geographic for Kids, Import Tuner Magazine, Super Street, and any other magazine subscriptions good for kids and teens.)
- Books for all ages in both English and Spanish
- Blank journals
- Calendars
-
Movies
- Adolescent (PG-13) - Please no "R" rated movies
- Videos and DVDs in both English and Spanish language
Arts and Crafts
Arts and Crafts provide patients with opportunities to be creative and expressive.
- Jewelry items: beads, clasps, etc.
- Markers/colored pencils/art pencil kits
- Sketch pads
-
Models (snap together - none that require glue)
- Fuse beads with peg shapes
- Klutz arts and crafts books
- Crayons (boxes of eight)
- Sand art
- String art
- Spin art
- Embroidery and latch hook rug kits
- Watercolor paints
- Playdough/Playdough kits
- Woodworking projects for teens
- Pony beads
- Coloring books
- Scrapbooking materials (rubber stamps/stamp pads, decorative papers, colored bond paper, paper punches, edging scissors, etc.)
Dramatic/Pretend Play
Pretend play provides an opportunity for patients to learn about being in the hospital, gain a sense of control over the hospital environment and escape from the routines of the hospital.
- Little Tikes/Fisher Price people
- Toy cash register
- Plastic kitchen food and playhouse dishes
- Play mobile medical/hospital sets
- Fisher Price doctor kits
- Fisher Price garage and cars
- Fisher Price school bus
- Plastic farm animals and dinosaurs
- Remote control cars
Cognitive Toys
Patients are able to participate in activities that require less energy but are still able to be challenged and learn through activities that utilize their minds.
- Puzzles (large floor puzzles, preschool wooden board puzzles, crosswords, word search, jigsaw)
- Games (Othello, Don't Wake Daddy, Operation, Trouble, Guess Who, Mancala, Clue, Connect 4, HiHo Cherry O, Jenga, Risk, Scrabble, Scrabble Jr., Sequence, Sorry, Trouble, Yahtzee, Don't Break the Ice, TriOminos, etc.)
- Playing cards (UNO, Skip-Bo, etc.)
- Playing card holders
Gross Motor Toys
Often times, patients are encouraged to be active as a method of strengthening their muscles and learning or relearning skills. These types of activities can also help children decrease stress.
- Balls - basketballs, rubber balls, soccer balls
- Toss Across (big tic-tac-toe)
- Fisher Price Ready Steady Ride On
- Little Tikes Patrol Police Coupe
- Little Tikes Cozy Coupe II
- Scream Machine
- Exercise mats (plastic or vinyl so can be wiped off)
Bedrest/Relaxation/Sensory Stimulation
Patients who need to remain in bed, need gentle stimulation or who are very anxious or stressed, can benefit for the following types of items:
- Discovery Sensory balls (with smells inside)
- Any visual, auditory, sensory input toys
- Lap trays
- Books on tape (All ages. Both English and Spanish)
- Music-cassette tapes and CDs (easy listening, relaxation, environmental sounds, classical, lullabies, and children’s music)
- Sound Soother Boxes (nature sounds)
Electronics
- Video game systems (Playstation 2, Playstation 3, X-Box, X-Box 360)
- Handheld video game systems (Gameboy Advance)
- Video games for all of the above systems: (games must be rated with "E" or "T")
- Extra controllers for video game systems
- Polaroid film
- Headphones for CD players
- Portable CD players with AM/FM radio
- CD boom boxes/stereos
- Blank cassette tapes and video tapes
- CD ROM games for computer (educational/painting programs/entertaining)
- DVD players
- Camcorders
- Digital cameras
- 19” TV/VCR/DVD players as one unit on cart
- Portable DVD players
Miscellaneous
- Nail polish sets for teenagers
- Adolescent clothing – sports teams
- Large dry erase boards
Miller Children's Hospital Long Beach
2801 Atlantic Ave., Long Beach, CA 90806
(562) 933-5437
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