Pregnancy and Babies in The Sims 4: The Complete Guide

Becoming a parent in The Sims 4 radically transforms a playthrough. Between sleepless nights, endless bottle feedings, and first steps, Electronic Arts' family simulator has gained considerable depth with the free 2023 infants update and the Growing Together expansion pack. This guide covers the full child cycle, from conception through the transition to childhood, not forgetting the famous twins and triplets.

Conceiving a baby: the three paths

The Sims 4 offers three distinct ways to start a family, and the choice mainly depends on the household setup.

Trying for a baby remains the most classic method. Two young adult or adult Sims in a relationship, with a sufficiently high romantic relationship level (about half the love bar filled, according to community guides), can use the "Try for Baby" interaction. It can be triggered on a double bed, but also in a hot tub, a shower (with the Discover University pack), or even a coffin for vampires. Note: "Woohoo" is not the interaction that leads to pregnancy — you must explicitly select the try for baby option.

The test-tube baby arrived with the Growing Together pack. An adult Sim can visit a fertility clinic or use the phone to start an IVF procedure, either alone or with a partner. Ideal for single-parent households, same-sex couples, or simply Sims who prefer to skip the romance stage.

Adoption, finally, is done via the phone, then Household, then Adopt. Expect to pay around 1,000 Simoleons. The game then offers several randomly generated children, from infant to child age, to choose from. It's the fastest way to immediately grow a family without going through pregnancy.

Tip: if you're playing a long-term story, alternate between modes. An adopted child amid several biological babies offers a nice genetic and narrative contrast.

Pregnancy day to day: symptoms and trimesters

Pregnancy lasts three days in game time, one per trimester. The first trimester stays subtle: morning sickness by the toilet, odd food cravings, slight discomfort. The second brings a visible baby bump and changes certain animations. The third pushes the belly to its maximum size, slows down all movement, and periodically triggers the "Baby Imminent" moodlet.

To confirm a pregnancy in the very first hours, click on the toilet and select Take a Pregnancy Test (15 Simoleons, instant result). The test saves you from waiting for the distinctive little tune that comes with natural confirmation.

Useful quirks to know

• The pregnant Sim does not age during the three days of pregnancy, which gives you a bit of breathing room if you're playing on a tight cycle.
• Eating carrots and listening to alternative music is said, according to the community, to push toward having a boy; strawberries and pop music, toward a girl. These tips have been circulating for years on French-language guides and should be treated as player folklore rather than an actual game rule.
• Pregnant Sims cannot travel to certain locations (water parks, extreme sports venues) and see their wardrobe automatically adjust.

Giving birth: at home or at the hospital

When the "Labor Has Started" moodlet appears, you have two options. Home birth is the default path: your Sim heads to a crib and gives birth within a few seconds after a short animation. Simple, quick, and free.

Giving birth at the hospital requires the Get to Work expansion pack. You can then accompany your Sim to the Willow Creek Medical Center and follow the entire scene: check-in, examinations, delivery room, presentation of the newborn. It takes longer but is noticeably more immersive, and the medical career may even benefit from your presence.

To speed up the pace if you're losing patience, once you've entered testingcheats true in the console:

• sims.add_buff buff_pregnancy_inlabor triggers labor immediately: the Sim rushes to the nearest crib.
• sims.add_buff buff_pregnancy_trimester2 or trimester3 jumps straight to the desired trimester.

Twins, triplets and fertility cheats

To maximize the chances of a multiple pregnancy without cheating, there are two official levers:

• The Fertile reward trait (3,000 Satisfaction Points in the rewards store). It increases the chances that "Try for Baby" works on the first attempt and multiplies the odds of twins or triplets.
• Listening to a lot of children's music during pregnancy is frequently cited as a natural fertility booster by French-speaking community guides.

If you'd rather force the outcome, first get your Sim's ID with sims.get_sim_id_by_name Firstname Lastname. Then:

• pregnancy.force_offspring_count [SimID] 2 for twins
• pregnancy.force_offspring_count [SimID] 3 for triplets
• pregnancy.force_offspring_count [SimID] 7 if you're after maximum chaos — the game accepts up to seven babies at once

Tip: equip the Fertile trait for free with traits.equip_trait Fertile if you don't want to spend your reward points.

Infants: feeding, changing, putting to sleep

At birth, the baby spends a few days in the crib as a newborn, a relatively passive phase inherited from the pre-2023 version. It then becomes an infant, the richest stage of the child life cycle since the free update of March 2023.

An infant requires several daily care actions:

• Feeding via breastfeeding, bottle, or finger foods on the high chair.
• Changing diapers: the dedicated meter rises quickly, and a dirty baby always ends up crying.
• Putting to sleep in a crib, a baby carrier, or right in your arms. Singing a lullaby speeds up falling asleep.
• Entertaining with a baby gym, cuddles, peek-a-boo type games, singing and babbling.

An infant's needs fill up more slowly than a toddler's, but they drop faster: constant vigilance is required during the first few days.

Getting them to sleep through the night

If sleep is wearing you out, the classic trick is to combine a sung lullaby right before nighttime, a full belly, a clean diaper, and a crib placed in a separate room. Some players also install the baby monitor from the Growing Together pack so parents can hear crying immediately, even from the other end of the house.

From infant to toddler, then to child

The transition from infant to toddler happens automatically after a few days of gameplay (duration adjustable in the "Lifespan" options). The toddler then gains access to the classic skills of that stage: movement, communication, potty, imagination, and motor skills.

Then the toddler becomes a child after about four days, either with a birthday cake or automatically via a dedicated menu. At this point, the child fully enters school, extracurricular activities, and the final personality traits chosen in CAS.

Nothing stops you from speeding up the transitions with cas.fulleditmode then Shift+click on the child → “Trigger Birthday.” Be careful, a premature transition means losing any steps not completed during the previous phase.

Infants and Life Stages with Growing Together

The Growing Together expansion is a real turning point for virtual parenting. Without it, an infant starts with the roughly approximate abilities of an eight-month-old baby, according to the developers interviewed at the pack's launch. With the pack, it instead starts around two months old and gradually acquires about twenty life stages: lifting its head, rolling onto its stomach, sitting up, crawling, standing, walking on all fours, first smile, first solid food, pincer grasp, etc.

These milestones fall into three categories: Firsts, Social, and Life. Reaching as many social milestones as possible notably grants a Communication skill bonus upon reaching the toddler stage.

The pack also adds 18 infant-specific personality traits, plus new parent-child interactions (chest cuddle, browsing old photos, family memories). It's one of the rare must-have packs if you love playing multi-generational family stories.

Tip: equip at least one parent with the “Family Focused” trait or a parenting aspiration. Each milestone reached then adds to an extra achievement gauge, unlocking long-term gameplay rewards.

Going Further

Family is just one facet of the game: be sure to check out our other guides to round out your experience. Our traits and aspirations feature will help you craft consistent parent personalities; the essential cheat codes guide details all the useful commands, including how to fund diapers and endless lullabies; and finally, our best expansion packs overview specifies which ones add the most to family gameplay, from Cats & Dogs to City Living.