B/G Twins - Separate Toys?

This came to me when someone mentioned having twins in separate rooms. What do you do about toys? Do you have "shared" toys and then they each have some that are just theirs? Up to this point, all our toys have been hand-me-downs, so everything is shared. I'm sure starting from their first birthday on, they'll be given toys as individuals, and should we keep some toys that way.

If they share a room, do you have a box for his toys and a box for her toys and then a big box for shared toys? Or do you just have them share everything? I'm wondering how all the experienced moms handle it...

Right now, mine share everything (even some clothes that I think go fine for boy or girl), but, of course, they don't know that they are sharing.

 

I have g/g twins, but even if I had b/g toys I would not separate their toys based on Gender. My girls have Trucks, cars, and their Cozy coupe cars are Fire trucks. Just because they are girls does not mean that I am only going to let them play with Dolls and Dress up clothes. I will always encourage my girls to share their toys.

 

I think they share until it becomes an issue to them. At a point I dont think ds will want to play with barbies, but rather his cars. When my brother and I were young I would make him play barbie dreamhouse, if he wanted me to play cars with him. but the cars were his and the dream house was mine. However we had many toys that were "ours", like the atari, or the trampoline etc...

 

My b/g twins will probably share toys forever. We generally purposly buy toys that are not gender specific...I think it would just make things more complicated. I think someone bought my dd one of those "my first dolls" but its just mixed in with their other toys and sometimes ds will play with it or chew on it for a minute, but thats fine.
I think once they get older, like 4 or 5...then you could do seperate toys if they are interested.

 

our solution is a little easier...we have older kids already and their toys all go in the playroom and organized that way...to start off with jack and abbey will share a room and all of our "baby" toys will be downstairs for them to use...they'll take up the space that the swing and bouncy seats and what not now do...when they go upstairs and in to seperate rooms the toys that aren't "baby" toys will go as well and be up there and organized in with all of the other stuff...

 

We have very few gender specific toys, and mostly just have them share everything. Not only are they sharing with each other but their older sister. When we had my daughter, I made sure that we had a lot of neutral toys because I knew we were going to have more children. The gender specific toys are mixed in with all of the toys (most in the toy room - or a toy bin in the living room) and my older daugther seems to snag those before the babies can play with them anyways.

 

We don't have many gender specific toys here as well, so they usually get one toy to share. It is funny though to see my DD play with DS's "boy" toys and see DS play with her dolls (hug and kiss them, he can be a little Mommy too).

 

My LOs share all of their toys. DD has a doll and DS plays with it more than DD!

 

My older kids share their toys so I'm sure my twins will too

 

My b/g twins share all of their toys including such "gender-specific" items as a pocketbook, toolkit and tea set.

 

Thanks for all your replies! I really wasn't even thinking about gender-specific toys when I asked the question, but it was great to get all of the replies. I was just thinking more about if they should "own" any toys that only they get to play with, like loveys or special cars or whatever. My older ones are so far apart in age that the boundaries are very clear on whose is whose. I can see, already, the toys that "were" my toddler's will be come the babies' and the lines for whose is whose will fade even more.

I think we'll probably model after some of the replies and just have a toy room, where everything is shared. Maybe we'll allow them to have a few things that our special to them in a box in their bedroom or something.

Thanks again!

 

Oh if you are talking lovey's and such, all my kids have their own lovey's My oldest ds also has a few "special" toys that he doesn't want the younger kids to ruin. But for the most part, the general to population is a free-for-all!

 

Yeah...just to be clear...

I was struggling with if this is an instance where I should try to maintain individuality. If people actually give them each their own gift for Christmas or for their birthday (which I hope they do), so, for instance, DS gets a bear and DD gets a bunny. Do you keep them separate? Does DS have any special "rights" to that bear? Or do all the gifts they are given just go into the "toy box" and everyone gets to use them by normal sharing rules (first come, first served mixed with taking turns)?

Danielle, I think what you said you did is kind of what I'd like to employ, but maybe with all the kids being allowed to have the "special" toys that are just theirs. Or maybe that wouldn't work...

 

Okay, sorry I misunderstood. To answer, they both have the exact same "loveys." We have two red elmos and we have two brown bears. For my children, whatever one has, the other one wants! However, I can understand wanting to give them each their own personal toy.

 

Most everything is fair game for anyone here. They do have a couple of 'special' toys though of their own, but those are usually shared as well.

 

I have boy/girl twins and the toys are not separated. They both play with all the toys.