Best Gifts for Kids in the Hospital (2024)

*) The toys marked with a (*) were generously donated by the toy company in support of this toy drive benefitting the children in the CICU at Seattle Children’s Hospital. A heartfelt “THANK YOU” goes out to every donor, as they helped support my dream of brightening the lives of the children in the CICU, in honor of the 10th anniversary of our son’s long CICU stay. Donors: Creative QT, Goliath Games, LEGO Bags, LEGO Watches & Clocks, Innovation Press and iPlay iLearn.

Whether you are buying a gift for your own child in the hospital, a grandchild or a friend’s child, it’s an emotional purchase.

I have been in your shoes. Our infant son was in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (“PICU”) for the first two months of his life. Since he was discharged from the hospital ten years ago, I became an advocate for families affected by Pediatric Cardiomyopathy and Congenital Heart Defects.

I compiled this list of the top 20 toys for kids in the hospital by asking over 7,000 other heart families the simple question:

“What is the best gift your child received as a gift in the PICU.”

The answers overwhelmingly pointed to these 20 top gifts and I am sure the kid you are buying for will agree with these choices.

Things to consider when buying a gift for a child in the hospital:

• The entertainment value of the toy
• The child’s age
• His interests
• Any limitations he may have due to his medical condition
• Whether he’s confined to a bed or a hospital room

Check out this list of the best gifts for kids in the hospital:

This toys list is geared towards toddlers through teens.

Shop the entire collection of “Best Gifts for Kids in the Hospital!” here!

These toys are not listed in any particular order.

• Open the Joy gift sets!
  • These boredom busters and entertainment kits are for kids of all ages and interests.
  • Everything is packaged ready to be gifted to a child or their siblings.
  • Open the Joy products are loved by Child Life Specialists at Children’s hospitals throughout the country.
  • LEGO bricks and LEGO-compatible baseplates:*
    • LEGO is the all-time classic toy. The entertainment value of a good LEGO set is out of this world. LEGO bricks and LEGO-compatible baseplates from Creative QT are something kids of all ages will enjoy for hours. The possibilities are simply endless.
    • My favorite is these baseplates for kids in the hospital. They can be used without adhering them to something, but it’s a great gift idea to buy a storage binand stick the Creative QT baseplates on the top and inside of the lid, to maximize storage and playability.
    • The sturdy baseplates from Creative QT are perfect for playtime in a hospital bed. They come in a broad range of colors and even in plates suitable for DUPLO-sized bricks.
    • The best open-ended LEGO sets for kids are:
      • DUPLO for the littlest ones (through preschool age).
      • These fun 3-in-1 LEGO sets have LOTS of playability as one set can be built into three different things – along with whatever the child creates using his imagination.
      • A basic box of LEGO bricks and wheels is always a bit hit with boys and girls.
      • LEGO Technic is fun for the older kids (through teenage years!)

  

  See Also

  100 Thoughtful Gifts for the Bedridden and Bed Rest Patients27 Gifts for Hospital Patients That Will Put Them At Ease14 of the Best Gifts for Someone in the Hospital, According to Nurses60 Best Gifts for Someone in the Hospital

  

  • Toy storage:*
    • When you are confined to a hospital bed/ room for a long period of time, it gets harder and harder to keep track of your trinkets and small toys. These awesome toy storage bags from LEGO Bags are great for kids of all ages.
    • The LEGO brick-shaped pouches are great for cords, toiletries, make-up, small LEGO Minifigures, cars or art supplies.
    • The LEGO cinch bag is perfect to give along with LEGO bricks and baseplates, so you don’t end up stepping on the bricks in the middle of the night or worse yet, lose them in the hospital bed.
    • Kids of all ages love squirreling things away in bags and pouches, which is why these colorful bags are sure to make a special child very happy.

  

  

  • LEGO Alarm clocks:*
    • These LEGO-themed alarm clocks are colorful and fun to look at, but they also serve a very practical purpose. Anyone who’s been in the hospital knows that within hours, you lose track of time, especially if you don’t have access to a window. Days blend into evenings and nights. Mornings only stand out because of shift-change and the doctors do rounds.
    • Help the little patient keep track of time as well as day and night. A cute LEGO alarm clock that lights up will help keep them on a “somewhat” regular schedule, in spite of untimely blood draws and beeping machines.

  

  

  • Board games:*
    • The timeless classic board game will never go out of style or favor. Our favorite board game companies areGoliath Games and Pressman. They have innovative, silly, and challenging games for kids of all ages.
    • Added benefits of a board game: it gives the adults sitting by the bedside something to do. Some board games help strengthen math skills, critical thinking, language or even fine motor skills.
    • These are just some of our favorite games from Goliath Games and Pressman, but trust that you cannot go wrong buying any of their games.

  
  
  

  

  • Craft kits:*
    • Craft kits are great for boys and girls alike. Often times, the hospital’s Child Life Specialist has volunteers that may come sit with the patients and doing crafts is always a great way to connect and pass the time.
    • Beads and jewelry making kits are fun and a wonderful way for patients to make gifts for their nurses and the other patients.

  
  Shop the entire collection of “Best Gifts for Kids in the Hospital!” here!

  • Puzzles:*
    • There’s no need to reinvent the wheel when it comes to fun ways to pass time. Making a puzzle is great for kids of all ages and it’s a toy that can be used again and again.

  
  

  • Books:*
    • It goes without saying that books are great gifts for kids in the hospital. But it’s often hard to find books that span across several age groups and interests.
    • The Zoey and Sassafras series does just that.
      • There is a science element to each of the stories, so it’s perfect for kids who like STEM, learning, and exploring the world. There are elements of magic and imagination as well, so the stories appeal to boys and girls, preschoolers through tweens.
      • I have read these books aloud to our youngest boys and our older ones read them independently.
    • Another popular book series, this one for the tween and older crowd are the books by Rick Riordan. Both girls and boys enjoy the mythical, magical, and historical aspects of his writing. These are great books to “get lost in.”

  
  

  • Cars and car accessories:*
    • Things that go are always fun! These cars and the road tape from iPlay, iLearn is a perfect way to convert a boring hospital room into a highway!
    • It’s also a great way to get a reluctant kid out of the bed and playing safely within the four walls of the hospital room.
    • Several of these sets were donated by iPlay iLearn. I can just imagine the smile on a little kid’s face when he gets it – and the hours of fun he can have, even in his bed.
    • The road tape is also perfect to use on top of the table that swings over the hospital bed.

  

  See Also

  40 Gift Ideas for a Kid in the Hospital

  

  • Video games and gaming consoles:
    • If there’s one time in a child’s life that “screen time” isn’t a concern, let the hospital stay be it.
    • A lot of hospitals have video game consoles for the patients to use, but they are in high demand.
    • If you want to splurge and get a gaming system, the 3DS is a nice handheld device and the individual games are reasonably priced.

  

  • Stickers:
    • What kid doesn’t like stickers? These adorable sticker books are a fun way to create stories – and they are reusable. It’s perfect for independent play or together with an adult.

  Shop the entire collection of “Best Gifts for Kids in the Hospital!” here!

  • Coloring books and activity books:
    • Activity books are a great way to keep the young ever-expanding minds healthy while they are in the hospital and away from a formal school setting.
    • Coloring books have been found to be therapeutic and relaxing for adults and children alike. They have fun coloring books for “kids” of all ages, so no need to limit these gifts for the younger crowd.

  

  • Art supplies:
    • Nothing makes you “escape reality” like letting the creativity flow. Paints, coloring pencils, scissors, craft paper. The art supplies don’t have to fancy. Actually, the more basic the better so the kid isn’t limited to making one specific creation.

  

  • Dolls and stuffed animals:
    • We all need comfort, especially when the world around us is new and unpredictable. What better way to give your little patient some much needed comfort than gifting a doll or adorable stuffed animal.
    • Make the gift more meaningful by getting a dog that looks like the family dog or a stuffed dinosaur if the child dreams of becoming a paleontologist.

  

  • Movies and headphones:
    • Escape the ever-beeping machines and the bright hospital lights by watching a good movie – and if it’s really cool, I bet you anything it’s going to be watched again and again.
    • Kids of all ages love to become immersed in a good plot and forget everything that is going on around them, even if it’s just for a few hours at a time.
    • A good set of headphones can also help to drown out the sounds around the hospital halls.

  

  • Gift cards to online stores:
    • When you run out of ideas, especially for older kids, gift cards are always a hit. Amazon gift cards especially can be redeemed for Kindle books or items of their choice. (Deliveries are accepted at the hospitals, it may just take an extra day or two to find the patient.)

  

  • Collectible cards and accessories:
    • Remember when you were a kid, what kind of cards did you collect? Baseball cards? Pokemon cards?
    • Well guess what?! It’s still just as cool now as it was then! There’s nothing better than sorting and then re-sorting your card collection.
    • These plastic sleeves work perfectly in a 3-ring binder and they will keep a growing card collection safe while in the hospital.
    • Our kids LOVE their Pokemon cards – and their ages span from 4 to 12, so it’s really an ageless and timeless gift.
      • Besides, there’s a great card game attached to Pokemon cards, so it’s not “just” a pack of 10 cards, they also serve a purpose. Check out the Parent’s Guide to Pokemon the Card Game.

  

  • PlayDoh and Kinetic Sand:
    • Our kids, from toddlers to tweens, love when I pull out either the PlayDoh or Kinetic Sand. Even just rolling a ball of the magical stuff in your hands is relaxing.
    • Add a few creative PlayDoh toys to the gift and you have yourself an entertained patient for quite a few hours. Stored properly, both PlayDoh and Kinetic Sand lasts almost indefinitely.

  

  • Magnetic Tiles:
    • The wonderfully magnetic shapes are fun for kids and adults alike. Build a tall 3-D tower or create a mandala design on the hospital bed table. The possibilities are really endless and it’s a toy that can’t break and can be stored perfectly in the LEGO cinch bag.

  

  • Room decorations:
    • For long-term hospital admissions, there’s nothing better than making the most of a tough situation and creating a “home away from home.”
    • Christmas lights add a beautiful ambiance, especially over the holidays. But then again, the spirit of the holidays is welcomed any time of the year in a hospital room.
    • These wall decals are funand a great way to temporarily decorate “the child’s space.”What better way than to add a little color and the child’s favorite character to the otherwise blank walls?!

  Shop the entire collection of “Best Gifts for Kids in the Hospital!” here!

  After putting together this list of toys most wished for by the children in the PICU, I reached out to the respective toy companies and asked them to donate toys off this list. The toys collected, over 100 items, valued over $2,000 will be donated to the CICU (Cardiac Intensive Care Unit) at Seattle Children’s Hospital in January of 2019.

  *) The toys marked with a (*) were generously donated by the toy company in support of this toy drive benefitting the children in the CICU at Seattle Children’s Hospital. A heartfelt “THANK YOU” goes out to every donor, as they helped support my dream of brightening the lives of the children in the CICU, in honor of the 10th anniversary of our son’s long CICU stay. Donors: Creative QT, Goliath Games, LEGO Bags, LEGO Watches & Clocks, Innovation Press and iPlay iLearn.

  

  These are the donations our sponsors sent us for Seattle Children’s Hospital! A heartfelt THANK YOU goes out to our generous sponsors for supporting my dream!

  

  

  

  Journals and pens:

  • What little girl and boy in the hospital doesn’t have a lot of thoughts, feelings and things to express?!
  • A secret journal, a book to practice drawing skills – any book with blank pages is an invitation to be filled with whatever is on the kid’s mind.
  • Don’t forget colorful pens to go along with the journal!