Do parents of twins need two of every toy? As a mother to fraternal twin girls, Elaine Chan says her answer to the question is an emphatic "No way!"

For her twins, she houses a mix of shared and personal toys. Shared toys include building blocks, dress-up clothes, dishes, play food, paper and other art supplies. These items are commonly shared in preschools, Chan says. "We also decided to let them have 'their own' of a few things," Chan says. "We didn't think it made sense for them to share everything."

Many experts on multiples agree that it's important for twins to have items to share and toys they can call their own. It's common for experts today to urge parents of twins to help them express their own preferences and individuality through separate toys, clothes and other items.

In her book, Emotionally Healthy Twins: A New Philosophy for Parenting Two Unique Children (DaCapo Press, 2008), Dr. Joan A. Friedman, a psychotherapist based in Santa Monica, Calif., discusses that it's important to teach twins not to share. This may sound like it goes against everything you have ever heard about teaching children the basic value of sharing. But, as a parent of twins, you can look at sharing from a different perspective, Dr. Friedman says.

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