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Our Lending Collection
Since 1974, the Pittsburgh Toy Lending Library has provided a collection of toys that families can borrow to use at home. Families return their borrowed toys, and children may choose another toy to take home.
We have hundreds of toys available for our members to borrow. Members can log in to our online toy catalog to reserve toys, view reserves, check due dates, and see fines/payments. Currently, lending is available to members during all public play sessions.
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Our lending collection is divided into four categories. To browse each, type the category's name into the search bar (for best results, change the drop-down from "Keywords" to "Subjects").
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Imaginative Play toys are toys that help children enter a world of make-believe and play pretend. Children role-play and act out scenarios that may be realistic or pure fantasy. This type of play helps children practice skills, engage with the world, and make sense of what they're learning. Toys in this category include vehicles, doctor sets, play food, and dolls.
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Cognitive toys include games, puzzles, and STEM toys. While all types of play are valuable to a child's brain development, toys in this category especially help children build the skills to think, understand, and problem-solve.
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Gross Motor toys engage children in large physical movements and use the body's "big" muscles. Gross motor toys might involve crawling, walking, running, balancing, or jumping. Toys in this category might be designed for indoor use, outdoor use, or both. This includes scooters, roller skates, balance bikes, play tunnels, and sports toys.
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Infant toys are items specifically chosen with the needs of babies and young toddlers in mind. These toys are especially appropriate for children under age two, but any family may borrow from this section if the toys are appropriate for your child, regardless of age. This category includes push and pull toys, pounding and sorting toys, classics like the bubble popper, bead mazes, and more!
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As with our floor toys, lending toys are constantly being phased out when they are worn-out, broken, or missing essential pieces. Sometimes, a toy is removed from circulation because it has not been borrowed for a long time, and we want to make room for new additions. Some of the toys pictured may no longer be part of our collection, but they should give you an idea of what we have. Check the catalog to see what toys we have right now, and see if your choice is checked out or available.