Have you tried playing infants already? These cutie pies bring joy and giggles to any family. They depend on us and need our undivided love and care. Read on to learn how to become the best caregiver in Sims 4 and make your infants happy!
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raising a happy infant in sims 4
As of March 14th, we can play the cutest Sims the Sims has ever seen – infants. This new life stage bridges the gap between newborns and toddlers, adding a bunch of exciting interactions that are typical for this age.
However, with great cuteness, comes great responsibility for caregivers. Sims are faced with an important task, and that is to ensure that these adorable little ones get all their needs met and grow into happy toddlers.
So, if you are curious about how to handle parenthood and provide proper care for these babies, stay with us. This is all you need to know about interacting with and meeting the needs of infants. Let’s jump into it!
How to add an infant to your family?
Like with other life stages, infants can now be created in CAS. This developmental phase is a part of the natural aging process of any Sim. So, if you decide you want an infant once you are already in live mode, you can simply have a baby and wait for the newborn to age up. Or, alternatively, you can adopt one if adoption is your preferred route.
You can get a baby via the regular “Try for Baby” method or have a baby with the help of science via ”Have a Science Baby”. After the base game update, newborns age up faster than they used to, so you’ll get to play with an infant pretty soon after the delivery.
three pillars of Baby Care in sims 4
Making an infant happy and caring for them will depend on three main factors. One is their personality traits. Every infant is an individual and you notice differences in personality very early on.
The second thing you’ll need to take care of is successfully and promptly meeting their needs. Like for all other Sims, you’ll need to keep an eye on the basic needs meters, but also their moods to keep the content.
Three, you’ll have a special duty – to help them build trust and develop positive attachment styles. How you care for your infant will make it harder or easier for them to trust, but also harder, or easier for caregivers to tend to their needs.
Now, let’s see what all of this means so that you can be the best infant parent ever.
1. How Infant Traits Impact How You Care For Them?
No Sims are alike, and the same goes for infants. These cuties have personality traits that impact how they interact and respond to their surroundings. These traits influence their general behavior, from how collaborative or fussy to how reactive or laid back they are. Like real infants, some little ones will be easy to deal with, while others will cry more often and be more suspicious. Every infant can have one of the 6 infant personality traits:
- Calm – These are relaxed babies. They won’t cry as much, won’t have bad mood outbursts as often, and you’ll find that they are easy to take care of. However, this phlegmatic attitude will also make them a little hesitant to play adn explore the world.
- Cautious – These are some seriously suspicious babies, adn similarly to previous ones, they don’t like stepping outside of their comfort zone too much. They take time when building trust and will be skeptical toward trying anything new, such as new foods. However, once you gain their trust, you will have a profound connection with them.
- Intense – This baby is the polar opposite of the previous one. They are firey, always on edge, and cry more often. They love being amused and will get bored easily.
- Sensitive – For these infants the world can sometimes be too noisy and a little too much. Teya r very reactive to slight changes in the environment are picky about what they eat and need some extra care and gentleness. However, they are quicker to calm down than intense infants.
- Sunny – Infants with these traits have positive dispositions, are happy-go-lucky, and love to play, giggle and socialize. While they are usually naturally ina good mood, they will need a lot of socializing to be satisfied.
- Wiggly – The world is the oyster, and these infants make it their mission to explore every corner of it. They are energetic, curious, and love moving around. They are always alert adn will have more trouble falling asleep. Also, watch them closely, even when they are in playpens!
2. Having your infants’ basic needs met
So, here you are, being a parent to an infant for the first time. Like all other Sims, infants have basic needs. However, because they are not dependent, parents and other family members will need to satisfy their hunger, energy, fun, social needs, and blader. While basic needs are the same for everyone, how you go about satisfying them is different for infants.
Besides being totally dependent on others, every infant has special personality traits that will make it easier or harder for Sims to handle them. So, with all that in mind, this is how to keep the needs meter for infants as green as possible.
energy
Gone are the days when putting a baby in a crib in Sims was enough to have them fall asleep. Now, caretakers need to go the extra mile to make sure their youngest are getting much-needed rest. Like in real life, infants need a lot of snoozing during the day and need more naps than older Sims. If they are tired, they will be fussy, and you’ll need to put them to sleep in a crib. They shouldn’t stay awake for too long, so be mindful of this. If you fail to do so, rest assured their mood will drop.
Sometimes, parents will need to soothe them. You can make them fall asleep faster in a few ways. One, you can play them a lullaby if you have an upgraded crib, or calm them with a lovely bedtime story.
fun
For infants, play is not only a basic need but also a way to learn about the world. Besides previously available toys, there are some new sensory toys with audio effects. So, allow your cutie to play with any toy they find, even if that means borrowing some from their older toddler siblings.
hunger
Is your infant hungry? Worry not, we got you. There are three ways to feed your little one. You can breastfeed, give them a bottle or serve them some tasty infant dishes that support their health. Every infant can have a preference, so some might like breastfeeding, while other babies will rather be bottle-fed. And you get to set this yourself!
Breastfeeding is the most natural way to go about satisfying hunger. The Sims 4 now has a special option under the gender section in CAS, where you can choose whether a Sim produces milk or not. Every Sim that can lactate can feed the infant, not only the parent. So, if you have some other family members who can produce milk, and the parent is busy, feel free to give them this task.
Both breastfeeding and bottle-feeding are quick ways to satisfy hunger. However, if you want more interaction, the best way to feed them is in the high chair. You can try out veggie dishes, like mashed potatoes, peas, or pumpkin. Infants are quite reactive, and they will dis or adore some types of food.
Bladder
Here comes a mountain of diapers. Like real babies, infants will be smelly little creatures that need to be changed often. To change diapers, just click on the infant and select change diapers. If you got yourself a Growing Together pack, you’ll find a special diaper changing table with a bin for recycling stinky diapers in the build/buy.
Hygiene
Like all other ages, infants will need baths, too. To take care of hygiene, you can make a bubble bath for your youngest. They will be seated in a special bathing seat, and you’ll love the cuteness of this moment.
social
The infant has slept well, ate well, and doesn’t have stinky diapers, but they still can’t stop crying? The thing is, with infants, you always have to be alert. They have no other way of showing discomfort but to cry. Sometimes, the discomfort comes from being hungry, but sometimes, they just want to be held and loved.
Like with real babies, they are sensitive, and their emotions are changeable, so you’ll see them shift from a good mood to a bad one, sometimes without a warning. How you handle these mood swings will play a big role in their development.
All you need to do when this happens is to interact with them, cuddle, and soothe them. This will calm them down. The best part is, all family members can interact with them, including pets, toddlers, and kids, so make sure everyone gives them some love. If you fail to do so, they will develop distrust in other Sims and become suspicious of everything.
3. How to develop positive attachment styles?
Personality starts forming as early as infant days. Because this is the earliest life stage, it is during this time when the youngest Sims develop attachment styles. If their needs are met, and those around them respond to their cries with love and care, they will develop a positive relationship with others and their environment.
On the flip side, infants whose needs are neglected or are being left ignored will become very suspicious of others. They will come to realize they are not so safe, develop a skeptical attitude toward everything they come to contact with and have a more difficult time relating to Sims. These are the three possible attachment styles:
- Top Noch Infant – These babies were well cared for, and had all their needs met on time. They trust that others have good intentions and will find it easy to connect with Sims.
- Happy Infant – This is a content infant, with an overall positive attitude toward others. They will be trusting.
- Unhappy Infant – This baby was ignored and their neds weren’t met. As a result, they believe no one loves them and that no one can be trusted. They don’t see the world as a safe place, are cautious and doubtful.
Make sure you check their mood regularly. Infants who are frequently in a good mood will develop a positive attachment style. Sad and ignored infants are more likely to develop a negative one. Those with positive attachments will have good faith in others, and won’t get distressed quickly if their needs are not met immediately. Conversely, neglected infants won’t trust that others will meet their needs, and will be quickly distressed when they are not cared for.
A pro tip: Keep your infant safe at all times
Infants have a curiosity about a cat. They want to explore the world around them, and if left unattended, they can start roaming around and even leave the house if they want to. So, to ensure maximum safety, make sure to baby-proof every door, gate, or fence.
With the base game update also came special playpens that allow you to restrict infants from going where you don’t want them to be. You’ll find them under fences, so make sure you create a safe spot for them and babyproof the area. Still, make sure to check them every once in a while, as stubborn toddlers can sometimes break these barricades!
conclusion
Infants are sensitive and they depend on caregivers every minute of the day. So, make sure you are responsive to their moods and needs, have patience for their personality quirks, and give them unconditional love. With care and patience, every infant will grow into a happy toddler in no time. Happy simming!