Decoding the Simlish Clock: How Long Until Babies Age Up in The Sims 4?

So, you’ve welcomed a pixelated bundle of joy into your Sims 4 household. Congratulations! But as any seasoned Simmer knows, those tiny toes won’t stay that tiny forever. The burning question on every new Sim parent’s mind: How long until that adorable baby ages up?

The answer, in Simlish time, is roughly 3 Sim days. That’s right, you have a precious 72 hours (give or take, depending on your game settings) to coo over those gurgles and dirty diapers before your little one transitions into the toddler phase. Thankfully, the game provides a heads-up before the big day arrives.

Navigating the Infant and Toddler Stages

While 3 days might seem like a blink of an eye, especially compared to the longer lifespans in later stages, these early phases are crucial for development and offer unique gameplay opportunities. The arrival of the Infants life stage brought an all new dynamic to the gameplay. Babies were once just objects you had to feed and change but now Infants are characters with their own unique interactions, milestones and needs that players can fulfill. Let’s break down what you need to know about the little ones’ lifespan in The Sims 4.

The Automatic Age-Up

By default, your Sim baby will automatically age up to a toddler after those three Sim days. The game’s “auto age” setting is the default setting for new games. The game will alert you with a notification before it is time for the baby to age up. Don’t be caught off guard when the notification pops up in the top right corner!

Controlling the Clock: Aging Settings

Want to savor the baby stage a little longer? Or perhaps you’re eager to dive into the toddler years? The Sims 4 gives you control over aging through the game options:

• Aging On/Off: This global setting completely pauses the aging process for all Sims in your game. A great tool if you’re building a world or focusing on a specific generation.
• Auto Age (Played Sims): This setting allows you to control whether Sims in your active household automatically age up. Turning it off lets you manually trigger age transitions.
• Auto Age (Unplayed Sims): This option determines whether Sims in households you’re not actively playing will age. Turning this off can lead to population stagnation.
• Lifespan Length: Choose between short, normal, and long lifespans to adjust the duration of each life stage. The shorter the life span, the faster they will age up to the next life stage.

Expediting the Process: The Birthday Cake Trick

Impatient to see your baby as a toddler? You can trigger an early age-up using the birthday cake.

1. Bake a Cake: Head to the kitchen and bake a cake. Any cake will do!
2. Add Birthday Candles: Once the cake is baked, click on it and select “Add Birthday Candles.”
3. Help Blow Out Candles: An adult Sim needs to pick up the infant or have the toddler come to them.
4. Celebrate!: Have the Sim “Blow Out Candles” interaction. Voila! Instant toddler.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Here’s a deeper dive into common questions surrounding baby aging and related topics in The Sims 4:

1. Can I Throw a Birthday Party for My Baby?

No, unlike older life stages, The Sims 4 does not allow you to throw traditional birthday parties for babies or infants. The birthday cake method is the primary way to celebrate their age transition. Parties are possible for toddlers and older Sims.

2. What Happens if I Have Aging Turned Off?

If aging is turned off, your baby will remain a baby indefinitely until you manually age them up using the birthday cake method or re-enable aging in the game options.

3. Can I Age Up My Baby Using Cheats?

Yes, you can use cheats to instantly age up your baby. Open the cheat console (Ctrl+Shift+C), type testingcheats true, then cas.fulleditmode, and then go into Create-A-Sim (CAS) via a mirror or dresser (“Plan Outfit”). From there, you can manually change the baby’s age. Remember that changing a Sims age through Create-A-Sim can reset skills and relationships, so it is best to age up using a cake when possible.

4. What Are Milestones for Infants and What Do They Do?

Infants have milestones that they can achieve in five categories: Fine Motor, Firsts, Gross Motor, Life, and Social. Completing these milestones unlocks special interactions with the baby’s caretaker. They’re essentially in-game achievements that mark developmental progress. The game introduced Infant Quirks with the Growing Together Expansion Pack which are tied to the milestones a baby achieves.

5. Can Pregnant Sims Age Up?

In the unmodded game, pregnant Sims cannot die or age up until after they have given birth. However, mods like the “Pregnant Aging & Death” mod change this behavior.

6. Can Babies Die in The Sims 4?

No, babies and infants are immune to death in The Sims 4. This helps ensure that the player doesn’t lose a sim through a bug in the game. Toddlers and older sims can die, and players need to take good care of the little ones.

7. How Do I Get Twins or Triplets?

There are several ways to increase your chances of having multiple births:

• Fertility Treatment: Purchase the “Fertility Treatment” reward from the Rewards Store using aspiration points.
• On Ley Line Lot Trait: Build or move into a lot with the “On Ley Line” lot trait.
• Spa Day Pack: Get a Fertility Massage if you own the Spa Day Game Pack.
• Cheats: Use the cheat pregnancy.force_offspring_count (Sim ID) (number of babies) after enabling testing cheats.

8. How Long Are Horses Pregnant in The Sims 4?

If you have the Horse Ranch Expansion pack, horses are only pregnant for a couple of days! It doesn’t take long before you have a little foal running around your ranch.

9. How Do You Raise an Orphan Foal?

If a foal’s mother dies in the game, another Sim can step in to care for it. Ensure the foal receives adequate care, including feeding and socialization. The interactions are similar to taking care of a newborn infant in the game.

10. What if My Baby Isn’t Aging Up Automatically?

First, double-check your game options to ensure aging is enabled for your played households. If it is and the baby still isn’t aging, try resetting the Sim (using the resetsim [Sim's Name] cheat) or restarting the game.

11. Can I Control Which Traits My Toddler Gets When They Age Up?

When your infant ages up into a toddler they will receive three random traits. Traits can heavily influence a Sim’s personality and how they interact with other Sims and the world around them. The traits they receive can also be influenced by how they were raised as an infant.

12. What is the Youngest Age for a Sim to Get Pregnant?

The youngest age a Sim can become pregnant is a Young Adult. Teen Sims cannot get pregnant even with mods.

13. How Long Do Seasons Last in The Sims 4?

By default, each season lasts 7 Sim days, making a full year 28 days. However, you can adjust the season length in the game options.

14. Where Can I Learn More About Game Design and Learning?

If you’re fascinated by the intersection of games and education, be sure to check out the Games Learning Society at https://www.gameslearningsociety.org/ to explore research, resources, and community connections. Understanding the game is fun, but the learning behind it can lead to new opportunities!

15. Is The Sims 4 Appropriate for Younger Players?

The Sims 4 has a PEGI rating of 12, indicating it may contain content that is not suitable for children under 12. Parents should consider this rating when deciding whether the game is appropriate for their child.

By understanding the aging mechanics and taking advantage of the available options, you can curate your Sims 4 experience to perfectly match your desired pace and play style. Happy Simming!