I hate cribs!

I find keeping a house full of adults is the best way of dealing with babies and toddlers. So if you have grandparents and parents sharing the night time feeds, nappy changes and releasing the little darlings from the cribs, everyone gets a modicum of sleep and can manage to work and eat.

I also find the baby swing from the store is a great way to encourage babies and toddlers to sleep and wake at a reasonable time. A premium item I believe it still comes up on daily deals. Well worth the investment. Rumour also has it there is a toddler bed. This is cc so I don't know anything more about it.

If a toddler is well fed and doesn’t have to go to the toilet, they don’t make a fuss when they wake up in the middle of the night. They only start crying when they’re uncomfortable for another reason (than being awake). I honestly don’t think bringing up toddlers in the game is all that difficult (and I raised over 60, all of them spending the nights in a crib ;)).

My toddler sims sleep well. I usually have a family member put them in the crib at around 10pm. They might not sleep for a while but they are well fed and happy and don't fuss before they fall asleep. They generally wake a little before 6 and are happy to wait until 6 when their parents wake up. I am very strict about my sims' bedtime so there is no chance of a family member disturbing a toddler during the night. I find feeding the toddler just before putting them down ensures they last the night without getting hungry. I don't use any of the premium toys that fill the energy bar because they throw out my sims' sleep schedule.

Thanks for the tips, everybody!

I don't know if I will buy new cribs or if I will leave the toddlers falling asleep on the floor, but the 3 of them have 10 more sim days before aging up (I'm playing with long lifespan), so I have time to change my mind.

I don't have other teenage or older sims on the house that can help, beyond the father and mother, and, for role-play reasons, the mother shouldn't help much with the children (she has the dislikes children trait). But inviting friends over helps.

"Bettyboop55;c-16956259" wrote:

I also find the baby swing from the store is a great way to encourage babies and toddlers to sleep and wake at a reasonable time. A premium item I believe it still comes up on daily deals. Well worth the investment. Rumour also has it there is a toddler bed. This is cc so I don't know anything more about it.

I bought the baby swing yesterday with other items. I only used it for about 10 seconds yet and it feels like cheating. The mother came back from work stressed and putting a baby on the swing immediately filled her fun bar, just like using a cheat.

Keiomestre - I laughed when I read this -- "...First of all, toddlers recharge their energies very fast on the crib, so forget about putting your toddler to sleep and getting a full night rest for you sim, because soon enough the toddler will be awake and screaming "Get me out of this prison"..." - Sounds just like babies and toddlers in real life. Parents usually get a full night's sleep when the child reaches age 6 and then lose it again at 13.

Like @Mikezumi, my sims have strict bedtimes, and the toddlers never wake in the night, though I usually put them to bed around 9 PM, as most of my families get up at 5 AM. They get fed in the high chair at the same time the rest of the family has their dinner, then when one of the parents takes them out of the high chair, they do at least three or four interactions with them before putting them on the floor or the potty, depending on whether the toddler is fully potty trained yet. The trip to use the potty is the last thing, then they are put in the crib. Even if they don't go to sleep right away, they don't ever need attention in the night.

Feeding them on the floor saves a little time for the parents at the time of the feeding, but overall doesn't really save time, because they will get hungry again sooner if they're only fed a bottle, and will have to be fed more times each day. My toddlers get fed in the high chair at the same time the rest of the family is having breakfast, then they don't need to be fed again until dinner, about 12 hours later.

My sims also keep their babies and toddlers wherever they are. If they're going outside to garden, they take the babies and toddlers outside too, where they can play with toys that are kept near the garden for them. They also do multiple interactions with them every time they pick them up to carry them inside or outside, so my toddlers seldom cry for any reason. That is how I raised my real life children. When they were babies and toddlers, they were always wherever I was, unless they were sleeping in their cradle or crib, and as I worked, I talked to them, picked them up, kissed and cuddled them, etc, as often as possible. So I have my sims treat their babies and toddlers the same way.

Just let them sleep on the floor. They'll pass out eventually or you can just click on their sleepy moodlet and they'll sleep on the floor. I always do this because cribs are a nuisance. I have the rugs too but honestly, just let them pass out.

Actually, I think TS3 strikes a pretty good balance between toddlers getting all loud and fussy for what might be no apparent reason and having them sleep through the night most of the time if their needs are well met and they have positive moodlets going. Higher end objects like swings and playpens are nice but not essential. TS3 is, among other things, a time management game and things like this are a puzzle to solve, not a barrier to the game's enjoyment. Sorry if this sounds like a lecture, especially coming from a non-parent in real life like me, but if you are going to regard very young sims as noisy and inconvenient and you don't want them at the family dinner table, then you might want to reconsider ever having them and perhaps opt for puppies and kittens to raise. Or you could adopt older children, those are easier to control. :)

One time I remember in particular when I was a newer player I let things get away from me and my sims' twins were overtired very late at night. The parents had to chase them all over the one-story residence to get them in a position where they could/would be picked up and put to bed and yes, they were crying and fussing all over the place for no reason other than being excessively tired. When they finally got them to bed at 2am or something, my two sims (who adore kids by the way) looked at each other, and by then I knew this look, as if to say, "Whew! Hey, wanna make some more?"

"Whoa, no!! Stop! Hey doctor, you're on an early shift tomorrow, go to bed! And science guy, if you aren't sleepy yet go experiment on something and cut that out right now, none of that try for baby romance tonight!" (I'm sure my neighbors heard me yelling this out, but they already think I'm crazy anyway) And besides, the twins were the youngest of what were already six children by then and there were six more to come later on. But that was only one less than organized night, though my sims didn't have much to work with back then this wasn't a frequent occurrence at all. By the time the triplets came along, much later, things in that household were more organized and ran like clockwork. Much of the time. Always expect the unexpected with lots of kids around.

"Keiomestre;c-16956378" wrote:
for role-play reasons, the mother shouldn't help much with the children (she has the dislikes children trait).

Aha, not typical. I'd say you have set yourself up for an extra challenge there then, especially when raising triplets.

"Keiomestre;c-16956378" wrote:
Thanks for the tips, everybody!

I don't know if I will buy new cribs or if I will leave the toddlers falling asleep on the floor, but the 3 of them have 10 more sim days before aging up (I'm playing with long lifespan), so I have time to change my mind.

I don't have other teenage or older sims on the house that can help, beyond the father and mother, and, for role-play reasons, the mother shouldn't help much with the children (she has the dislikes children trait). But inviting friends over helps.

"Bettyboop55;c-16956259" wrote:

I also find the baby swing from the store is a great way to encourage babies and toddlers to sleep and wake at a reasonable time. A premium item I believe it still comes up on daily deals. Well worth the investment. Rumour also has it there is a toddler bed. This is cc so I don't know anything more about it.

I bought the baby swing yesterday with other items. I only used it for about 10 seconds yet and it feels like cheating. The mother came back from work stressed and putting a baby on the swing immediately filled her fun bar, just like using a cheat.

Yes, I have the same ‘problem’ with using the swing (and the playpen and the walker). It feels a bit too easy, like taking care of things without actually playing their lives. Maybe you could try to make sure to have all their need bars (except for the energy one of course) to the fullest before you turn them in? A tip for bonding by the way: make parents, teens and kids read books for their toddler (sibling). It makes them smarter, happier, it fills their social bar and it improves the relationship with the person who’s reading to them. You do need Generations for that.

(the dislike children trait by the way, as far as I know, means literally just children (that life stage). If your storyline dictates she doesn’t like having kids I fully agree with you though, I’d stick to that plan then as well)

(to be honest this is exactly why letting them sleep on the floor is a no go for me, it just feels too cold and sad for me personally, even when the little bundle of pixels won’t mind :D )

I don´t mind cribs. If the toddler´s needs are ok, they usually don´t make a fuss, just sing to themselves and pick their cute little noses. The biggest problem with cribs I have are not the toddlers, but the adult sims, because at night, or if they are really tired themselves, they put the child in the crib, even if it isn´t tired. I often use (and absolutly love) the toddler napping mats from modthesims: http://modthesims.info/d/593159
They can access and leave them on their own, and you don´t have to let them pass out on the floor.

I also feel the swing is kinda cheaty, and I normally only use the playpen for children who already can talk, walk and speak. If you put two toddlers in it, it makes them best friends and gives them a head start at charisma.