Ideas for realistic family gameplay, toddlers, winter activities & pregnancy

Dear The Sims 4 developers, we truly love this game and appreciate all the hard work you put into it, so we would love to share a few ideas for family gameplay. We completely understand that implementing new mechanics takes time, effort, and resources, but if you ever have the opportunity to add even a few of these features, it would make the game feel so much warmer and more alive!

First, it would be wonderful to see a small update to the work departure routine. Right now, once a Sim finishes showering and eating, the «go to work» action triggers automatically, and canceling it just to say goodbye risks missing a workday. Having a smooth routine—where a Sim can calmly put on a coat, grab a bag, hug and kiss their spouse, wave goodbye to the kids, and walk out the door—would bring so much warmth to everyday family mornings.

We would also love more depth, warmth, and realism in pregnancy and childbirth. Right now, everything happens too quickly and uniformly, while pregnant Sims are overly restricted—they aren’t even allowed to do yoga in the first or second trimester, even though it’s great for expectant moms in real life! It would be wonderful to add an option for partner-assisted birth, where a spouse can be right by her side holding her hand and offering emotional support, as well as giving players a choice between natural birth and a C-section (with a realism toggle in the game settings so everyone can choose what feels comfortable for them).

Another big dream is a gradual age and milestone system. Instead of sudden jumps between life stages, it would be wonderful to see a baby’s actual age in months and years—for example, at 1 month old a baby mostly lies down, at 2–3 months they start focusing their gaze, exploring the world, and gradually developing skills tailored to their exact age, with options in the settings to adjust or pause aging.

Furthermore, the game would feel much more authentic with neurodiversity and developmental differences in children—such as autism or Down syndrome—complete with dedicated educational toys, activities, and special parenting interactions. Adding an optional toggle in the game settings would allow every player to customize their gameplay experience as they wish.

When it comes to everyday family care and fun, we are missing some essential little details for toddlers:

• Portable baby food and snacks: The ability to buy or order delivery for baby food pouches or jars, put them in inventory or luggage, and feed toddlers while walking outside or traveling when they get hungry.

• Favorite and disliked toys: Allowing kids to develop personal attachments to specific toys—having an absolute favorite toy they want to sleep with, or disliking others.

• Toddler food and drink requests: Letting toddlers actually ask for specific items like water or tea when they are thirsty.

We would also love more outdoor and winter activities: please consider adding sleds, snow tubes, and small snow hills for toddlers so they can slide down on their bottoms, experiencing genuine emotions and a bit of nervousness before their first ride. It would also be heartwarming to let toddlers ride on their parents’ shoulders or backs during walks, and to add toddler swings to playgrounds.

To make children feel even more lifelike, it would be great to see gentle childhood fears and separation anxiety—such as feeling nervous stepping out into a snowstorm for the first time, being alone in a dark room, or missing their parents when they leave. Making speech development more gradual (perhaps with an option for real voiceovers in English alongside Simlish) so toddlers truly learn their first words step by step would also be a lovely touch.

If the game’s engine and budget ever allow for it, we would be thrilled to see layered clothing and a deeper warmth system, where thermal wear, a sweater, and a winter jacket work together to keep Sims warm, while going out in light clothes in freezing weather could give them a cold.

And two final wishes that would make the world feel even more connected:• Interactive daycares and schools: The option to personally drop off and pick up kids rather than sending them into a rabbit hole.

• Cozy, walk-in cafes, shops, and restaurants that families can visit together without extra loading screens.

I know that some of these things can theoretically be found through mods, but a huge number of players simply cannot download or use them, which is why it would be so amazing to have this depth right in the vanilla game.

Thank you so much for everything you do for The Sims community! I am so sorry for asking for and writing so much—it’s just that I (and many other players) really miss having all of this in the game. Please forgive me, and thank you again 😊