Tricky Toddler Tips!

Keep the cat, it's going to keep the kid busy a lot. The answer is cupcakes. Leave cupcakes on a coffee table, the kid will help himself with them without leaving dishes around. Put him to bed around at 9pm at night and let him sleep until around 7am then if he doesn't, wake him up, give bath and breakfast. Be sure to feed him right before putting him to bed.

Plenty of pre-made meals, family servings in particular. That is what usually helps me get through the terrible toddler stage. No high chairs either, very time consuming and sims don’t always cooperate when it’s in their que.

How many do you have? I usually have 5-7 at a time haha. I let them sleep in shifts.

I don't bother with high chairs.

Premake meals or use the banquet table from luxury party stuff for instant meals. They can help themselves.

Prioritize potty training. Once they are lvl 3 potty they will use it and less accidents means less having to bathe them.

Next prioritize thinking, if they have thinking skill level 3 they stop having nightmares.

If you also have babies, keep them in separate rooms. A baby crying will wake the toddler too.

If your toddler is independent they learn skills faster on their own. If they are clingy they'll learn them faster if a parent helps them.

Don't use tablets. They raise skills super slow.

Get a Blarrfy and have them babble to it over and over for super quick increases in communication
Have the toddler "watch" other Sims over and over for the quickest increases in Thinking.
Have the toddler "Play" with a teen or adult for the quickest increase in movement.

If one toddler is on the potty another can watch him/her for a small boost in the potty skill.

Toy blocks increase both movement and thinking (one at a time though)

Watching older kids do puppet shows increases their fun, attention, and imagination at the same time.

Keep fresh harvestables in their inventory for super fast meals. They also get a happy moodlet from eating them.

Having a cat can actually help: toddlers can imitate the cat and it raises their Imagination skill. Talking to it raises Social need and Communication skill.

Seconding the priority on Potty Training - once they can go by themselves, you're so much better off as their hygiene usually doesn't drop all that fast.
Have them Walk Around or Run Around to raise their Motor Skill, especially if you have stairs in the house. Dancing also helps. If you have a Charmer toddler, they're going to need more attention: Read To Sleep is a nice combo of raising Social and Fun for both the toddler and the adult Sim (and Imagination for the toddler).

Naps in the middle of the day are good: have the toddler take one when their Energy is dropping to orange to tide them over until nighttime. And it'll give your adult Sim time for other stuff.

Another +1 on the meals: they can Grab a Serving from any surface and feed themselves. The toddler meals you can give them in the high chair aren't as filling as proper full meals. If you want to keep using the highchair, go with "Pick a Serving for..." from a group serving option. Definitely suggest making the Family or Party size options as they can go a long way both for the adult Sims and for toddlers, rather than making single servings.

Hope that helps.

"nerdfashion;c-17225644" wrote:
First of all, make sure you get rid of the cat. Second, try and stick to one toddler at a time, it's so much easier!

I do have one toddler at a time. And uh. The cat is learning not to do stuff FINALLY.

I don't find toddlers difficult at all. Once they get enough skill to walk up and down stairs they pretty much take care of themselves. Always have group meals in the fridge so that you can pull one out when a toddler is hungry. It's so much easier than getting an adult involved with the buggy high chair. Have plenty of toddler toys to keep them entertained. The wabbit tablet is a must have and they love doll houses. All you really need to worry about is their hygiene cause they can't take care of that themselves and maybe a little potty training after first.

"SimAlexandria;c-17225669" wrote:
If one toddler is on the potty another can watch him/her for a small boost in the potty skill.

Keep fresh harvestables in their inventory for super fast meals. They also get a happy moodlet from eating them.

I did not know that about the potty skill! That could definitely be useful with multiples.

The harvestables thing is so, so important. When toddlers were glitching right after Island Living, I could not get them to eat regular meals of any kind, the plates were constantly getting stuck in the air. Stocking them up with harvestables in the inventory was literally the only way I kept them from being taken away. Even now, I like having their queue set up so that as soon as they wake up, they eat an apple or banana, change their own clothes, (and then as soon as they are potty trained, run to the potty), so that even if they wake up before the rest of the house, nothing too urgent will happen.

"SimAlexandria;c-17225669" wrote:

Next prioritize thinking, if they have thinking skill level 3 they stop having nightmares.

? I did not know that!

"JC1979;c-17225656" wrote:
Plenty of pre-made meals, family servings in particular. That is what usually helps me get through the terrible toddler stage. No high chairs either, very time consuming and sims don’t always cooperate when it’s in their que.

I learned that the hard way. .....highchairs >:( >:( :D :D

"nerdfashion;c-17225644" wrote:
First of all, make sure you get rid of the cat. Second, try and stick to one toddler at a time, it's so much easier!

Omg lmao!! ??? no need! Hahaha I seriously can’t stop laughing!
Toddlers are easy! Unless you are having like twins or triplets! Key is to develop a routine! Maybe it’s cause I’ve had kids but so long as I follow a routine they are easy. Nothing like TS2 toddlers. Now those were hard!