Toddlers... Most difficult thing ever!

"aglitteringsimmer;c-16801979" wrote:
I agree they're are a pain because they're in a weird inbetween of ages but still really limited of what they can do, and todders need even more looking after to be honest... it's kinda ironic that this is what everyone was annoyed about when the base game came out yet now we'd be better off without them!

Not true - they are the most realistic of the Sims. Most of us really love the toddlers - as they are much like our real toddlers were It is a lot of fun to re-create our own sim-self families and our real kids when they were that darling age.

Oh and toddlers are not toothless by far. If they are toothless - they are still infants.

"rabidgummibear;c-16802032" wrote:
Okay this is weird... Did someone edit my post? It has me saying that I'm not being a "plum" and I know I didn't type that.

The censure edits your post when you type a word not allowed on the forum it instantly changes that word to "PLUM".

(This is to no one in particular, just a general response reading over the thread.)

See, that's just it. Toddlers and babies shouldn't HAVE to be a nuisance. I don't wanna get political, but I feel it is a sad commentary on our society when so many of us (not necessarily anyone here of course) feel we can or should plop our kids down in front of electronics and let an LCD monitor do the babysitting. I know it's no a perfect or a practical world we live in, but we're talking about a simtopian society here. Sim toddlers should be free and able to... well, toddle!

I know I'm not the only kid who grew up watching Rugrats and Muppet Babies. So why aren't toddlers allowed more activities to humanize them? Perhaps even traits specific to their age group, stuff based on real life research. Why are they reduced to such unfun little simpletons when in real life they are anything but that..?

How about the Animal Whisperer trait? Babies and toddlers have been proven to have a closer connection to animals, specifically to dogs, a trait that inexplicably disappears as they mature. Toddlers should be able to play with and ride big dogs; this is a no-brainer. Big dogs should be able to lift and carry toddlers or babies by their clothes. Cats like to lick a baby's head. It's all over YouTube. All woodland animals should react positively and automatically when a toddler is nearby. Etc, etc, etc.

The Lil Pollywog trait would mean both babies and toddlers love to swim with Mommy or Daddy in the pool. Yes, babies can swim in real life, cutest thing in the plummin' world. They actually have a natural blocker in their esophagus which makes it super easy for them.

Someone said toddlers have teeth? Yes indeed. And thanks for that clarification. So give a toddler the re-enforceable Biter trait, allowing them to playfully or even meanly bite other sims, including fellow toddlers.

Toddlers DO handle stairs, whether we want them to or not. This is the Sims. Don't worry, they'll be okay. ;) The Not Afwaid or Um Scayud traits determine whether they attempt such autonomously. A toddler who takes the stairs often is more likely to have the Brave trait as an adult. She might also become more adept at athletics (gymnastics?).

A toddler really needs the Go On An Adventure interaction. Meaning they can entertain themselves labeling various items in and out of the house. Things like Fight the Toilet Monster, Climb Mount Sofa or Search the Under Table Woods should allow multiple toddlers or solo action. Older sims or babies should be able to join in too.

Go On An Adventure even extends to the outside. Meaning if you aren't careful a toddler will wander off. The deer never harm or run from toddlers. Nor do raccoons. Or butterflies or snakes or birds or any other kind of animals. In fact, a big friendly St. Bernard (or a random townie) will bring your child back if they go too far.

A child or teen ought to be able to carry around their toddler friend or family Piggyback, whether playing around or just needing to get from place to place. Doing so, they can talk to the toddler, constantly increasing relationship points.

Toddlers and babies should be able to communicate with a Babble interaction. The Pwees Help Me, Um Hungwy, Um Sweepy actions allow a baby to tell his slightly older sim buddy or brother to seek out a sim or an object to help them out BEFORE they have to cry. Can you imagine how cute it would be to see a toddler on her own little mission across the carpet to find a bottle and bring it back to her baby bruddah?

That said, let's not forget babies. Are you kidding me? Babies crawl! You don't have to be a toddler to crawl. And what is WITH this laying on their back and staring up into space on Sims 3? If our baby isn't tasting his fingers and toes or waggling at the crib mobile, we usually assume something is wrong.

No, babies aren't dumb. They are at THE stage for accelerated learning. So aside from children or toddler toys, they should be able to interact with all kinds of things we don't want them to. Even if they can't reach them, a baby studies items or people VERY closely. Be Curious About should be a interaction especially if an older sim is holding them. Depending on the item being study, the game might even award secret levels of accelerated learning in everything from handiness to mastery of music. Let babies use the Taste interaction to shove various items into their mouths to inspect them.

Babies dream long before they leave the womb. Dream About allows them to focus positive events of the day and minimize the chance of waking in the night crying. Toddlers should be able to use this interaction as well.

Dogs and cats and other household pets should be able to comfort a baby if it cries. In fact, it has been proven that certain domestic animals see babies as younger members of their own collective. A dog or cat with the Loyal trait should stay close to a baby or toddler to Nudge, Lick, Woof, Purr, Rub, Tussle, Play With just like any other sim. Perhaps even more so.

Babies can have conversations with their toys or the mobiles overhead, even build relationships with certain ones. Babble Wiff, Pway Wiff, Adventure Wiff interactions could make for the most adorable sounds over the baby monitor in the next room. I mean, how awesome would that be? A toy with an especially high relationship brings comfort even when the sim is much older. The effect strengthens as it is passed down from generation to generation. Some toys become so powerful that they become magical. Like Teddy Bears that can autonomously fight that monster under the bed (Sims 3) at night when no one is around.

Speaking of the womb, sims of every age should be allowed to Speak To or Sing To the unborn. There's no reason a sim shouldn't be able to build a relationship simply because they haven't been born yet.

An older sim should be able to read novels or even technical manuals to the baby in or out of the womb. This could secretly boost all kinds of things prior to childhood.

Where are the baby pouches for adults and teens? Aside from being cute, this would help them bond and keep them close in public or at home.

In the words of Captain America, I can do this all day! Children are such a precious gift. At all ages. It's high time they be portrayed as such in-game. What ideas do you have..?

The first skill that I taught the toddlers was the movement then, potty. So that they could grab their own foods & go to potty by themselves. :D

@rabidgummibear You are posting in the TS4 section of the forum. The toddlers are completely different from the ones in TS3.

I absolutely love the toddlers. My current household has two and two high chairs and things are going just fine. I think you really need to just get into a rhythm with the family.

"CK213;c-16801230" wrote:
It's not the toddler, it's the chair. Get rid of it.
I just put the food on a table and let them get food for themselves.

That said, I do like the toddler stage being a handful, as it's a really needy stage and a first development stage.
There is also that relief when they age up. :D

If I have a Sim with the Fresh Chef trait, I'll leave food in the toddler's bedroom -- the food never spoils so they can grab it whenever they're hungry. I also work on baking skill so I can make things like breadsticks or cheesy bread they can use for snacks.

I do find that the traits do make a difference -- my Sim's oldest was Silly which is adorable; they do tend to make messes more often so you have to keep an eye on them and discipline them quickly. Currently I'm playing a Clingy toddler and she's a bit of a handful but it's so cute when her parents or even her older brother comfort her. Last time I played, she woke up with a nightmare and instead of waking up her parents she went and woke up her brother instead -- he was able to comfort her and she could go back to bed. Absolutely adorable -- I think they're going to stay close as they get older. :)

On my last playthrough with toddlers, I started cheating their needs. I would only do it if I tried 2 or more times to get them cared for the proper way, but half the time (or more) something would just go wrong. Caregiver manages to forget to pick them up. Caregiver stands in front of them checking his watch and waiting for toddler to stop babbling (because for some obscene reason he still hasn't managed to complete that speech lesson). Toddler crawls away and caregiver waits till toddler reaches its destination before runing after them, by which time butler has come and pick the toddler up and put them in the high chair, but his uncle had just placed his applesauce on the floor. So you tell someone to put the damn toddler on the floor so they can reach their food. You come back a few minutes later and the toddler is throwing a temper tantrum in the middle of the kitchen while 3 grown adults have a conversation about aliens, and then you realize the butler decided to clear up the uneaten applesauce and do the dishes while recounting that one time he too was anally probed. So it's at that point that I feel like the game FAILED ME and if it were working properly I wouldn't have wasted 3 sim hours trying to to get food into a toddler's mouth. Then I shift+click on them and Make Happy. Best personal policy ever.

The only problem I've got with my tots is that they're 'sad' so often. We need the 'fear' emotion yesterday, because it doesn't make sense for a toddler to be 'sad' about thunderstorms and nightmares. They get sad if they make a mess while using their little pots - it would make more sense for them to be 'sad' if they use their diaper when they're partially or fully toilet-trained. They also get 'sad' if they dance too much, and Llama-forbid a relative they've never met should die.

Totally unrelated, I had a thought about the highchairs (get rid of the highchairs!). The thing that drove me 'round the bend was the food-throwing. That wouldn't have been so bad if the parent had the option to discipline the toddler for doing it. (I wanted to put the little monster on the floor and let him eat the mess. With a bad moodlet for yucky food.) I actually sort of miss the throwing food now that I have my tots serve themselves - I wouldn't mind if it isn't every single time, especially if it's linked to a particular emotion, like playful or angry. And the parent should have the option to tell the kid not to throw food.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZDL-2FdWP7I

Dude! What the plum? (this is me learning to curse and swear in a Sims forum ;p)

May it never be said that the rabidgummibear does not willingly eat his words whensoever such may become appropriate. Now let's be crystal clear here. I'd never jump into Sims 4 because I must have my design options and free roam. Nevertheless, I just watched a video on toddlers from games 2, 3 and 4. I must say that Sims 4 toddlers are AWESOME...

Yes, I mean that unconditionally. Lemme explain.

First off, they SOUND like toddlers or babies or whatever. For the first time ever, I don't feel like doing things that'd involve a social worker and possible jail time the moment they open their mouths. This is huge. EA apparently either got better voice actors (think William Preston Robertson from Raising Arizona) or recorded real toddler/baby voices for Sims 4. Smart move and kudos for that. The difference between these quality rugrats and the whiny little killjoys from 2 and 3 is night and day. Yep, adults can do it. But you gotta be waaay talented to make it believable...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kiYAGocOXFM

Secondly, they (appear to) have toddler-specific traits, just like what I described in my earlier posts. Moodlets and enhanced interactive menus. And thank whatever plum (plums are not deities, but you know.. censorship) is watching for giving them the ability to sleep somewhere other than the floor like some passed out fratboy. Again, these kids are not stupid. They can find ways and places to sleep, even if a parent isn't around to carry them to a baby cage.

Which brings me to the third point. Toddler-sized beds. Yes, yes and yes. I mean, why not? In what world do we put our children down with the understanding that a tantrum is going to occur one way or another?

Forgive me for saying so, but you Sims 4 players should really count your plummings (other select words would imply religion and could be considered offensive) toddler-wise. If Sims 5 continues to develop and grant increased autonomy and interactions to this age group and maybe adds in some of my suggestions above, we could be looking at the most realistic family unit ever. Not to mention the funnest baby and toddler sims to play.

Here's to the future! ;)

My Sim had triplets first try at pregnancy ... no wonder she was puking for the whole time. And I hired a nanny, plus the dad and mom are on different work schedules. They also keep taking off parental leave but seriously ... trying to get these kids up to levels 3 or 5 so I can then age the up is harder work than raising an actual child lol. No more trying for a baby for those SIMS! And all the kids are redheads! Honestly.