Present buying ettiquette for twins

[Ponka]

What's the ettiquette? Is there one? Is buying a joint present and card seen as rude in any way? If buying seperate presents, is getting the same thing a good or bad idea? I suppose it must depend a lot on the individuals concerned.

Im' buying for one year old twins (both girls). Being that young, I know they certainly won't care about that kind of thing and their Mum is pretty laid back but it just got me wondering on a general basis, what happens when they get a bit older?

Well they are individual children. I would always but a present each.

I think when younder and if buying separate present it is a good idea to get the same. Once older go for different presents.

'younger'

a pressie for each child and a card for each child, we have twin girls and it was hard the first few years when they had to share a pressie, our girls have a box each with all their cards in and it is hard to know what to do with the shared cards, our two always have a cake each as they both like different things.

Agree. Card and present each, they are two people. I think similar presents but different are nice, especially when they are young. DTs got a rag doll each for Cristmas, but they had different hair and clothes.
When they are older and have different interests then get them different presents.

I had a feeling people might say definately individual.

I've found some nice bits but some of the toys I could get when I pool the money to spend into one are lovely and very tempting

Up until the age of 2 it didn't really matter with my girls. From then shared presents became a bit if a nightmare - especially toys they could only play with one at a time. We still get cards addressed to both of them which I think is a bit unfair. You would never send two singletons the same card, it's as though you're seeing them as one person! If you're going to go for one present I would at least give them separate cards.

Treat them the same as you would if they were siblings that hadn't been born on the same day imho.

It's hardly their fault that they are twins so why should they have to put up with having to share everything?

I can see that you can get a bigger pressie if you pool the money but would you if they were singletons?

I don't have twins myself but I have a friend who does and she feels very strongly about this! If her girls are invited to parties they take a present each, so why shouldn't they get a present each back?

I generally buy them something the same but different iyswim, eg hair stuff in different colours or styles or different books from the same range.

Agree with tigerfeet. I know people with twins and they are now school age, each sends seperate invitations for their party, even tho it's the same party. People at school always turn up to the party with individual pressies for each. I have seen 1st hand the problems of them coming out of class carrying only one invite addressed to both tho, and more annoyingly letters from the school. Two school fees, no twin discount, so surely an extra piece of paper wouldn't cost that much more to print??
BTW they are only 4yrs old so at a difficult age to understand, unlike say 7 or 8+

Yes definitely separate presents and cards. I have twin nephews and usually buy different but similar things, like different types of lego - eg pirate ship and rocket ship, or when buying clothes different but similarly priced trousers and shirts.

Definitely separate - at that age the babies don't care but I think most twin parents feel better to think their children are being treated as individuals by their friends.

Although even at 1 yr old I remember my two warring over one new rattle so two gifts would probably stop a lot of grief for the parents!

As a twin myself I'd agree with most of above - defintely separate presents and cards. I still remember the arguements re hwo got to open shared cards!

i bought my friends newborn twins this

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and

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