As another respondent recently inquired--Where you at, Dermot? 
I suppose the geography of the sites doesn't matter that much, but for Cal. history try: http://www.sonoma.edu/asc/publications/index.html and read the Cypress/West Oakland project draft, soon to be in print--find Ch. 6 for the children's history and my article on toys. Many small households with kids and an orphanage are described in the report, and lots of toys (and toy stores with important shopping information) are described throughout. 

I especially liked Karin Calvert's Children in the House (1992) for toy and play info. (and gruesome-sounding 18th C. "toys"), and my favorite grey literature is "Behind the Seawall" by Archeo-Tec (1981), a report on a San Francisco dump, and "For a Good Boy" by Mary and Adrian Praetzellis (1990) on a Sacramento site. 
The David Nasaw (1985) book is the habits of city children, based in ca. 1900 Cincinnati. Take a look at the end of Ch. 6 (pg. 33) for full references. 
Let me know if you are having any luck, Dermot, 
Suzanne Howard-Carter