Toys - do they belong to everyone or to each kid in your house?

[LlamaLover]

I was on only child and now a single Mum, so nothing to base this on really.

I'm looking ahead to buying toys for my new daughter as well as my 3 year old son for Christmas.

In your house are all toys shared? Or all toys belong to one kid but both can play with? Or only each kid can play with their own unless the other says its ok?

Currently we have my son's toys in lounge and playroom. Do I set up a few different boxes for her toys? Or bundle them all in together? We all co sleep together in one room, so no separate rooms to put things in.

I'm thinking a few puzzles and teddies for her. So not much, but want to start as I mean to go on and gently introduce my son to the fact that not every toy in the whole world belongs to him! I'm also guessing as they get older the difference in what they are in to will get bigger? I'm a hippy at heart and would love things to be shared (especially existing big expensive toys like the train set and play kitchen) but do kids benefit from having 'special' things too? How to distinguish between the two?

I'll stop waffling now. How does it work in your house?

I have a twin sister but no other siblings. We both had a mixture of our own things and shared toys growing up; we liked having some special things of our own, particularly personal toys like stuffed animals we took to bed, or our bikes, and then stuff like supplies of felt pens or dominoes or board games or garden games and equipment were for both of us. I recall having some squabbles over having to share when we both wanted to use the same thing at the same time but that's pretty usual, and I think it all worked out well overall.