How can we make pregnancy and infants more interesting? For this game or future ones

The best way to improve Babies is to actually give them some personality and activity as individual sims. Babies have always been treated very much like objects in these games, from the crib-bound babies of TS1 and TS4, to the floor baby problem in TS2, to the burrito babies of TS3. I've never really seen Babies done well in a Sims game. So:

1. Baby Personalities: Even as infants, human beings display individual personality traits. Some babies are very fussy and needy for attention, others are very quiet and only really cry when they're wet or hungry or sick, some babies are very giggly and smiley, some are very stoic and regard anyone who isn't Mama with calculating caution, some are easily startled, some would sleep through a herd of bison stampeding through the nursery...So, let's see that diversity in infant personality in sim Babies. Assign each Baby a random set of hidden personality traits at birth or allow the player to use some personality sliders to decide the Baby's starting personality profile. Depending on how the Baby is cared for, these base Baby traits can possibly morph into exclusive bonus traits that effect them for the rest of their lives.

2. Baby Skills, Movement, and Playability: Human infants are more than just a digestive system wrapped in a fleshy, immobile doll shell. They have levels of development even before learning to walk and talk. There's a point at which they learn to sit up, a point at which they learn to crawl, a point at which they start to figure out that whole Object Permanence thing, a point at which they start trying to stack that thing with the stick and the doughnuts, a point at which they start putting every everloving thing in their mouths in an attempt to understand what the heck those things are. Babies in TS4 should learn all of those skills and be playable through all of those early developmental experiences. Let's journey with them as they learn to crawl, to climb on furniture, what the cat's poop tastes like (My mom has a wonderful story about my dad leaving me unattended at a baby and me getting into the bag with our dog's poop in it and tasting it while his back was turned...), that objects don't disappear when you don't see them...all of that wonderful stuff! Let players play through that with their Baby sims if they want and experience the world through the eyes of someone who just got there!! It would be so cool if we could do that!!

3. Baby Toys and Furniture: Mini-pianos, the doughnut stacking tower thing, baby swings, walkers, play mats, playpens, plush blocks with jingle-bells inside them, clear balls with little marbles in them that fall through colorful panels with holes shaped like assorted things in them, cribside activity panels that make noises and play songs and are covered in colorful shapes and characters...those are just SOME of the things that people get for their babies in real life, most of which my own mom had for me and my siblings when we were babies. Sim Babies...have no toys, and no furniture except for cribs. This situation must be remedied.

Those are just three things that can be done to improve Babies in TS4...or any Sims title, for that matter. I mean, for such an important part of life, the Baby stage in this franchise has always been incredibly short and more centered on making the sim parents interact with this half-sim-half-object thing called a Baby than the Baby themself. It's a real shame, because the things that go on in the human brain and body during infancy are truly remarkable and it's a real missed opportunity not to explore that in an interactive medium like videogames...

"SimsLovinLycan;c-17394665" wrote:
The best way to improve Babies is to actually give them some personality and activity as individual sims. Babies have always been treated very much like objects in these games, from the crib-bound babies of TS1 and TS4, to the floor baby problem in TS2, to the burrito babies of TS3. I've never really seen Babies done well in a Sims game. So:

1. Baby Personalities: Even as infants, human beings display individual personality traits. Some babies are very fussy and needy for attention, others are very quiet and only really cry when they're wet or hungry or sick, some babies are very giggly and smiley, some are very stoic and regard anyone who isn't Mama with calculating caution, some are easily startled, some would sleep through a herd of bison stampeding through the nursery...So, let's see that diversity in infant personality in sim Babies. Assign each Baby a random set of hidden personality traits at birth or allow the player to use some personality sliders to decide the Baby's starting personality profile. Depending on how the Baby is cared for, these base Baby traits can possibly morph into exclusive bonus traits that effect them for the rest of their lives.

2. Baby Skills, Movement, and Playability: Human infants are more than just a digestive system wrapped in a fleshy, immobile doll shell. They have levels of development even before learning to walk and talk. There's a point at which they learn to sit up, a point at which they learn to crawl, a point at which they start to figure out that whole Object Permanence thing, a point at which they start trying to stack that thing with the stick and the doughnuts, a point at which they start putting every everloving thing in their mouths in an attempt to understand what the heck those things are. Babies in TS4 should learn all of those skills and be playable through all of those early developmental experiences. Let's journey with them as they learn to crawl, to climb on furniture, what the cat's poop tastes like (My mom has a wonderful story about my dad leaving me unattended at a baby and me getting into the bag with our dog's poop in it and tasting it while his back was turned...), that objects don't disappear when you don't see them...all of that wonderful stuff! Let players play through that with their Baby sims if they want and experience the world through the eyes of someone who just got there!! It would be so cool if we could do that!!

3. Baby Toys and Furniture: Mini-pianos, the doughnut stacking tower thing, baby swings, walkers, play mats, playpens, plush blocks with jingle-bells inside them, clear balls with little marbles in them that fall through colorful panels with holes shaped like assorted things in them, cribside activity panels that make noises and play songs and are covered in colorful shapes and characters...those are just SOME of the things that people get for their babies in real life, most of which my own mom had for me and my siblings when we were babies. Sim Babies...have no toys, and no furniture except for cribs. This situation must be remedied.

Those are just three things that can be done to improve Babies in TS4...or any Sims title, for that matter. I mean, for such an important part of life, the Baby stage in this franchise has always been incredibly short and more centered on making the sim parents interact with this half-sim-half-object thing called a Baby than the Baby themself. It's a real shame, because the things that go on in the human brain and body during infancy are truly remarkable and it's a real missed opportunity not to explore that in an interactive medium like videogames...

Oh, my! Reading that post made me feel as if I'd just found a kindred spirit. :smiley: Every time someone says that babies are boring and that they don't do anything but sleep, I wonder if they've ever spent quality time with an infant.

Babies are by far my most favorite stage of life for the very reasons that you've stated. There is so much foundational learning going on. And it's amazing, observing the world from their point of view. In the twelve short months of infancy, so much happens physically and mentally. If a Sims game could capture even a small fraction of that journey, the sense of wonder and new experiences, it would be truly amazing. If a Sims game spent the resources to give babies the attention that they deserve, I would be ecstatic and grateful.

I have similar suggestions on my 4 year old thread that has been ignored by the gurus so far. Unless enough people start to make some noise about the lack of baby content, I don't see them ever improving them.

"Rhiannonraven;c-17389408" wrote:
@StrawberryYogurt Currently in the game you can't get pregnant unless you "Try For Baby", Woohooing is completely risk free. I would love to have a risk of getting pregnant even when you just woohoo. Other interesting things would be pregnancy failures like miscarriages.

But can sims whohoo on their own without being prompted?
Miscarriages are interesting to me. I wouldn't mind them but I respect people who say they don't want them in the game because of their past experiences. Then again, some have had miscarriages and still want them in the game. I think maybe if you really exerted yourself as a female sim? But maybe it'd be very difficult to miscarry your sim

"StrawberryYogurt;c-17389412" wrote:

"Rhiannonraven;c-17389408" wrote:
@StrawberryYogurt Currently in the game you can't get pregnant unless you "Try For Baby", Woohooing is completely risk free. I would love to have a risk of getting pregnant even when you just woohoo. Other interesting things would be pregnancy failures like miscarriages.

But can sims whohoo on their own without being prompted?
Miscarriages are interesting to me. I wouldn't mind them but I respect people who say they don't want them in the game because of their past experiences. Then again, some have had miscarriages and still want them in the game. I think maybe if you really exerted yourself as a female sim? But maybe it'd be very difficult to miscarry your sim

They can't woohoo without being prompted right now, I sure hope they still wouldn't if accidental pregnancies became a thing.

"Guccifi;c-17389477" wrote:
Maybe let us give natural birth’s as well like as in we can give birth in bathtubs or hot tubs and they send over a nurse or someone to help rather than just have the baby just pop out.

Yes I like this idea too!

"ListentoToppDogg;c-17389594" wrote:

For babies, a complete overhaul. This video highlights everything I'd like to see for babies in the game.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FBJqbJpbETs

Tldw version: Crawling, being fed at the highchair, toys, real cribs, changing table, learning to stand and take the first few steps, different clothes and accessories.

Well I think some things in the video crossover to what toddlers can do. But I do like the rattle playing and the walker is super cute

deleted

"Chazzzy;c-17390002" wrote:
Honestly, I don't think they want to draw any more attention to babies until they add some substantial features to that "life state".

That's what the thread is about-making the life stage interesting. I usually don't bother with babies or toddlers at times even, and age them up quickly because their life state doesn't have much to do. But the more features the more fun theyll be to play

"DaWaterRat;c-17390137" wrote:

"StrawberryYogurt;c-17390128" wrote:
http://thumbs.modthesims2.com/img/1/0/1/1/3/6/2/9/MTS_Evvi-1811248-Fulleffectpools.jpg

Oh just seen this mod. Would be awesome in the game

What mod is that? From what I can see, that came with Seasons. Because my sim family has that very pool in their inventory.

I'm generally not a fan of gender reveal parties myself, but as long as they're optional, I don't really care if they're in the game. (I went out of my way to keep my daughter's bio-sex secret because I didn't want to be saddled with tons of pink. I wound up having to tell everyone I was a non-fan of pink and please don't get me stuff in it. I still got pink stuff that was among the first to be "passed on" even if she hadn't grown out of it yet.
She's now a 19 year old straight A student with a 4th degree black belt who likes high heels and hates pink more than I do.)

Oh excuse me, I thought it was a mod!! :D I'll delete my previous sentiment. The page I was looking at added movement skill to the pool as the mod.Yeah she could've got flooded with pink stuff. My sister for a grad party got box after box of perfume from people who didnt know her well and couldnt think of what to get a young girl. About the fourth time she opened a bath and body works gift basket things got awkward lol;; I hated pink as a child because I thought it was too girly and I was a tomboy. Now as an adult I like it, my bedrooms theme is pink black and grey :p