The Sims 4 Babies Guide

Getting Pregnant, Having a Baby or Twins, and Caring for Them

by Pam Marsden

Close-up picture of a Baby in The Sims 4
A Close-Up shot of a Baby in The Sims 4

Video Guide: Pregnancy and Babies

Learn how to have a baby, how to handle twins and triplets, and how to influence the gender of your offspring after your Sims Try for Baby so you can have the little boy or girl you want.

Pregnancy and Babies Video Guide

Have a Baby by Adopting

Adopting a Baby, Toddler, or Child
In The Sims 4, babies can be produced using Try For Baby or using the computer to adopt. (Choose Household, then Adopt). Adoption costs $1,000 and the player gets to choose between a baby, toddler, and a child. You also get to pick the one you wish to adopt. The computer will show pictures and names of the available babies, toddlers, and children. Click on the one you want. My Sim chose a baby named Savannah. She immediately walked out of the house and disappeared at the street. About an hour later, you'll get a notice that your Sim is bringing home a new family member. You'll also be given the option to change the name of the baby you pick. Your Sim returns with some confetti and the baby is magically in the bassinet. Adopting a toddler or child works the same way.

Have a Baby by Getting Pregnant

Other Guides: Toddlers Guide  |  Children Guide

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To have a baby naturally, a Sim who is able to be pregnant (male or female via CAS options) will have to find a suitable partner/spouse and go through all of the necessary friendly and romantic interactions in order to successfully Try For Baby. My Sim had the Romantic trait and her Aspiration was Soul Mate, which meant that she eagerly sought the Sim who would be the father to her baby. I found that Try For Baby came up sooner than in Sims 3, so less time was needed for the couple to interact romantically. Getting flirty can help boost the success of romance interactions.

The parents were married and had maxed their friendship and romantic bars, and Try for Baby often came up as a first option without having to do any romancing before hand. Sims can also have a male appearance and have the ability to become pregnant, or be female in appearance and able to make others pregnant - see transgender section below for how to do this.

Woohoo in Sims 4 to Try for Baby
Getting ready to Woohoo with Try for Baby to become Pregnant

Video Guide: How to Woohoo & Try for Baby

Video guide for how to Woohoo in The Sims 4 to have a baby

There are no longer pregnancy chimes at the time your Sims Try for Baby. Instead, the mother can do a pregnancy test by clicking on the toilet afterward. The cost is $15 and results are immediate. Either it will say she's eating for two or to try again. She will immediately start to show a little after getting a positive pregnancy test. Otherwise, if you do not do a pregnancy test, the game will inform you after a day that the mother is pregnant. Luckily, the mother will wear her same clothes throughout the pregnancy. There's no spinning into ugly maternity clothes!

CAS Options - Make Sim Transgender
During Create-a-Sim, you can select '...' beneath the gender settings to make your Sim however you desire. Sims can have masculine voice and feminine appearance, and you may also select whether that Sim is capable of becoming pregnant regardless of gender. You must pick one or the other - Sims who can become pregnant can't get others pregnant. You may also choose neither, indicating that Sim can woohoo without any baby being born.

Male Pregnancy (via Alien Abduction)
If you have a male Sim in the household who is from Young Adult to Elder in age and have installed the Get to Work Expansion, Alien Abduction can result in your Sim getting pregnant. You can make this happen by joining the Scientist Career, and working your way up until you can build the satellite. You can use the satellite on your home lot to contact aliens. This makes them more likely to visit, and thus abduct your Sim. Conversely, you can use the satellite to stop alien abductions to prevent your male from getting pregnant. For a full tutorial to abductions, see How to Get Abducted for Alien Babies.

Having Boys or Girls

Explore My Mods! Color Picker for Builders, Seasons Tuner, Dine Out Reloaded and a Gameplay Overhaul! Like other modders, I've been working to make The Sims 4 a better game. Check out my many mods here!

Influence the Baby's Gender: A patch made it so that we can influence the gender of babies, so we can make the chance large that a baby girl or boy is born:

  • To be more likely to have a baby boy: Eat carrots and listen to alternative music on the radio.
  • To be more likely to have a baby girl: Eat strawberries and listen to pop music on the radio.

Doing both of these things during your pregnancy will increase your odds of having a boy or girl.

Having Twins and Triplets: Multiple Births

Though it is possible to influence the game to give you Twins or Triplets, the pregnancy will typically produce a single baby. Twins and triplets can happen naturally, but to increase the chances of twins or triplets, use the Fertile Reward. It's available from the Rewards Store for the price of 3,000 Satisfaction points. You can also cheat to have twins or triplets, see below. If those cheats are too complex, you can use the Sims.give_satisfaction_points X cheat to give yourself enough to afford fertile

Another means of boosting the odds of twins and triplets is to use the Wellness skill on someone other than the Sim who is going to get pregnant, or visit a massage parlor. With the Spa Day Game Pack, Sims can get a Fertility Massage at the Spa or from a Sim who is practiced in the Wellness skill. You must own a massage table to get one at home, but this is reported to increase the rate of twins and triplets as well.

These are at present the only ways known to boost multiple birth rates without cheating.

During the Pregnancy

A pregnancy lasts approximately three Sim days, no matter which lifespan setting the player is using. The mother will have morning sickness and make trips to the bathroom to vomit. It's pretty gross, so beware before you zoom in for a close up! The toilet will need to be cleaned afterward. During her pregnancy, the mother will have backaches that may or may not be helped by a massage from her partner. I didn't notice my Sim getting any whims for a massage. The mother will be able to Share Big News and Invite to Feel Baby. Hover over her pregnancy moodlet to see how far the pregnancy has progressed: first, second, or third trimester. By the third trimester, the mother is HUGE! She's also quite uncomfortable and ready for the baby to come.

A Sim feeling a Pregnant Sim's Baby Kicking
Sim Feeling the Baby Kicking in a Pregnant Mother's Stomach

Preparing the Nursery
In Sims 4, the only baby item is the bassinet. You may purchase one prior to the birth, or one will be provided by Social Services when the baby is born if you don't own one. The bassinet doesn't take up much space and can easily be kept in the mother's bedroom if you don't want to bother with making a separate nursery. Consider building up a bedroom for your baby before it ages up to Toddler. You'll need a high chair, toddler bed, and potty chair.

Giving Birth to a Baby

When the time arrives, the mother will go into labor. It will last about three hours and the mother can do anything she wants during this time. She can eat, have conversations, go to the bathroom, even sleep. She'll have a +40 Uncomfortable moodlet during this time, however, which is too large to really overcome by normal means. If you like, you can avoid long labor by simply clicking the option to deliver at hospital from the Bassinet. The father in my game would sometimes have pre-parental panic and run through the house. He had the Hates Children trait, so that was a possible cause, but other fathers may experience this as well. Nobody else in the house (teens and children) had any reaction.

Sim Fathers may go into Pre-Parental Panic as the baby's arrival draws closer
A Sim Father goes into Pre-Parental Panic, Anxious for the Baby's Birth

When it's Go Time, the mother will go to the bassinet for the actual birth, or you'll be taken to the hospital for surgery with the Get to Work Expansion (if you chose the hospital route). This is when we get to see her faces and listen to her groan. It doesn't last long and before you know it, you've got a brand new baby. The little darling will be dressed in a one-piece jumper: green for boys and yellow for girls. No traits are chosen at the time of birth, so it doesn't matter if the mother has a smooth pregnancy. The first trait is chosen at Toddler and a childhood Aspiration is chosen at the Child stage.

The Sims 4 - a Sim in Labor, ready to give birth to a baby
The Pregnancy comes to an end as the Mother goes into Labor

Caring for the Baby

Baby's Needs
The baby cannot be the active Sim and the player cannot see his/her needs. You have to judge the situation from visual and audio clues. but they have a hidden hunger, fun and hygiene need that must be met. The baby will sleep automatically when well cared for. You can develop the relationship by using the limited socials that are available, while also satisfying the baby's needs for entertainment and socialization. A green cloud means a dirty diaper and crying means the baby needs to be fed and/or you should played with the baby. My Sims were fairly attentive to the baby without being told, but this might not always be the case. All interactions are found by clicking on the bassinet and the baby never leaves that immediate area.

Stinky Baby equals time for Diaper Change
When Babies get Stinky, it's time for a Diaper Change

When feeding, the mother has the option to bottle feed or breast feed. Everyone else can only bottle feed. Males pregnant with an alien baby can breast feed, however. The other interactions besides changing the dirty diaper are: Bounce, Coo At, Make Silly Face, Rock, Talk, Shoosh, Show Off To, and Age Up. Children will be able to Coo At and Talk to the baby. To use the Show Off To interaction, make sure the bassinet is not up against a wall. The person looking at the baby will stand at the head of the bassinet.

The Sims 4 - Showing off a Baby
Showing off the Baby to another Sim

Leaving the House and Neglecting the Baby
Sims can all leave the house when there's a baby, no problem. The baby automatically gets sent to Day Care while the parents and others are away at work, or just out exploring to collect items. If a baby is neglected for a period of time, the baby will be taken away to safety. The baby will simply disappear in a green flash of light. This didn't seem to negatively impact the mother's ability to have more babies later.

Aging Up Babies To Toddler (you can Skip Past Baby)

A baby can be aged up to Toddler at any time after the birth by clicking on the bassinet. However, if you wish to wait until the normal aging time, you may wait it out by caring for them until this happens automatically. The only real benefit to letting the baby age on its own is to increase the relationship between the baby and other Sims in the house, while also giving you time to prepare to care for a toddler properly by giving them their own bedroom. All of the interactions your Sims can make with the baby will increase the relationship bar. When the time comes, the baby will age straight to a toddler who can roam the house and needs to learn Toddler skills. The duration a Sim's baby life stage will vary depending on which lifespan you're playing. On the short lifespan, it's about 1 1/2 days to age up to toddler. On normal lifespan, it's about 3 days.

Learn More: Toddlers Guide  |  Children Guide

Pregnancy Cheats

Mod Required
Only Try for Baby cheats (below) can be done without a mod. For other pregnancy cheats, you need to use a mod to unlock additional commands. Download TwistedMexi's Enable All Cheats Mod to get back the testingcheats that were removed. See instructions for using these cheats in the video below. Follow the link to subscribe to my channel and get notified of new video guides.

I have made a more detailed guide to Using Pregnancy Cheats in The Sims 4 where you can see the below video and then use step by step instructions to attempt to replicate my results.

Pregnancy Cheats in Sims 4

Pregnancy Cheats for The Sims 4

Try for Baby Cheat (By Raising Romantic Relationship Levels)
If you want to cheat to make your Sim have a high romance standing with another in order to try for baby, type modifyrelationship yoursimfirst yoursimlast targetsimfirst targetsimlast 99 romance_main - for example, modifyrelationship alex wilkis christy mooney 99 romance_main will make them have a near-max romance bar, which is capable of trying for baby with or without building friendship first. Use a few romance socials successfully, then hit try for baby and you're good!

Speed up Pregnancy (Requires Mod)
You cannot directly use a cheat to get pregnant, but you can cheat to get it over with faster. This works only when a Sim is pregnant, otherwise it makes them go through the labor without producing a baby. Type testingcheats on, followed by Sims.add_buff buff_pregnancy_inlabor. This works when males are pregnant with alien babies, as well.

Sims 4 Pregnancy Cheats
The multiple births cheat requires you to get a Sim ID number like above. Be sure you type your Sim's exact first and last name when using the cheat.

Forcing Twins, Triplets, and More (Requires Mod)
A cheat is availble to force multiple births as well. These require testingcheats on. First, you need to get your Sim's ID after they've been made pregnant normally (see above to max romance).

Type sims.get_sim_id_by_name firstname lastname to get the ID of the pregnant Sim.

Now you can influence how many births they have at once. It may work up to 7, but keep in mind that the maximum household size is 8. So do a little addition, and save your game first. It may hang quite a bit generating all these babies. Use the Sim's ID you got from the first cheat, for example 1341302010235.

Then type pregnancy.force_offspring_count 1341302010235 5 So pregnancy.force_offspring_count ID (number of babies). My example would produce 5 babies, but you need your Sim's actual ID number (that one's made up). Thankfully, the ID will stay in the box while you work on typing out the cheat! I tested this with the force labor cheat, and it does work. It's best to use the forced labor cheat right away after using this one. Without it, they will have the babies at the normal time, not right after using the cheat, but you'd have to stay home the whole time. Traveling breaks the multiple births cheat, so speeding up via fored labor keeps you from having issues. Save first to give yourself another shot if something goes wrong.

Quadruplet babies in The Sims 4
The quadruplets pictured were forced via the pregnancy cheats, proving they can work on a fully updated game, and when typed perfectly. The alien baby is a result of the male Sim having been pregnant before the save was loaded. He was already set by the game to have twins, but I knocked it back to 1 by cheating. So if your Sim has twins/triplets and you don't want that many, you can go back to a previous save and use the cheats to get only one baby.

Problems with the Cheat
This was possibly added from a patch, so cannot be used on out-of-date games. Players who have a pirate copy are likely left out on this one. Additionally, the cheat will not work if you reload the file after entering it. You are overriding what is already determined when the Sim gets pregnant - the number of babies to be born, so you'll have what the Sim was meant to have. On leaving the game file, you'd have to enter it again, and anything that messes with the status of testingcheats may render the command invalid (such as entering create-a-Sim). So, if you use these, plan to stay home and save during the third trimester, and save just before using them. If the cheat was entered correctly, you can immediately go into labor using the speed up pregnancy cheat, so that nothing can go wrong in the meantime.

In Closing
This should help you get pregnant and care for your baby properly. From here, you can go on to learn about Toddlers and Raising Children and Getting Good Grades in School.

Raising Kids and Parenting in The Sims 4

Babies, Adopting, and Pregnancy
Toddlers and Learning to Walk, Talk, and Potty
Childhood, School and Children's Aspirations
The Sims 4 Parenthood Game Pack
Parenthood - Character Values from Raising Children
Sims 4 Expansion Packs

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Comments (405)

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New
Angelsays...
Some cheats aren't working and I want to have more than one kid
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New
Dakotasays...
Yeah it won't work for me aswell UHHGGG Unsure Sad Smile
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Admin
Playalotsays...
Your sim must be pregnant before using this cheat.
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New
Laylasays...
Thank you so much! For some reason I always end up having Twins and Triplets in The Sims 4... And in the Sims 3, too! But sometimes I just get WAY too excited and anxious to see the gender and how many babies I will have. So, now that I know this cheat, I can finally speed up the process... I HATE it when it seems like FOREVER and I'm still only in the 1st Trimester.. UGHH but Thanks!!
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New
Laylasays...
I am going to try this because right now i'm doing a 100 baby challenge in my Sims 4 game and so far I only have 2 children but I am not gonna break the rules by doing these cheats so I am going to try this when I'm done doing The Sims 4 100 Baby Challenge...Thanks a Bunch!!
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New
nessasays...
Can lesbian couples try for baby?
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Senior
Playalotsays...
Not in the vanilla game.
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Admin
Playalotsays...
Wanted to add... now this is possible as in CAS we can now set which sim to Get Others Pregnant, Get Pregnant and even to Never Get Pregnant.
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New
Dakotasays...
Hi guys I'm trying to use a cheat to have more than one baby and it's not working does anyone know how to do it properly because I don't know if I'm doing it wrong or right Smile thank you Smile
Smile Hope you guys could help Smile
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Regular
Elizabethsays...
dakota, have you tried putting testing cheats on?Huh
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New
Dakotasays...
Yes Elizabeth I've tried so hard to do this because I'm trying to do the one hundred baby challenge. Every time I try it doesn't work ugh I feel like punching the laptop screen Mad
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Admin
Playalotsays...
I can hear your frustration. Sad The cheats do work but you have to make sure you are not making any typos at all and have followed the guides exactly. Good luck!
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Regular
Elizabethsays...
my sim has been in labor for 2 days. what do I do?
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Senior
Playalotsays...
Nothing but wait. Sims pregnancies last three days and maybe into the forth depending on what the time of days was when they got pregnant.
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New
brookesays...
hey i just brought get to work and my point is how do you make your sims sickSmileSmile
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Admin
Playalotsays...
There isn't anything specific you can do to make your sims sick. Often socializing a lot can make a sim sick so maybe go out and about with your sim around the various community lots.
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New
Kendallsays...
Hey! So many of u are saying that your mother sim is getting bigger...well it's not because you can edit your sims body size (when she is NOT preagnant) I can't do mine because of course mine is about to have her second child.....<you can also do this with the men.> [not the preagnant part]
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Regular
Hannahsays...
Help! testing cheats cheats never work for me and i have a full paid for version
Admin: First open the cheats console (Control-Shift-C) while in live mode then type in 'testingcheats on'. After that copy the cheat you want to use from the guides making sure not to make any typos.

Cheats Guide
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New
Assays...
How to evict only one family member from house?
Admin: Use Manage Worlds. There are clear instruction on the Moving Guide. :)

How To Move Sims
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New
Usays...
My sim got married and went for a baby, I didn't really do anything but they got twin boys.
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New
Ambesays...
ITS NOT WORKING
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Admin
Playalotsays...
What exactly is not working in your game Ambe?
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New
Alexissays...
I love the chears there so helpfull
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New
Not tellingsays...
Argh this is not working it is really unfair
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Admin
Playalotsays...
I'm not sure what you are having trouble with but if it is using cheats then, yes, it can be frustrating. Make sure you are not making any typos.
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New
Sims Curioussays...
I'm sure someone out there has asked this question, but I cannot find a blog post for it anywhere. Two sims marry, and the spouse has a wandering eye, in fact, he's Trying for Baby with every woman he meets. Will the women that he is hooking up with and chooses the Try for Baby option actually produce children? What is the recourse of this action if children are actually the result of him Trying for Baby with every woman he meets?
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Admin
Playalotsays...
Yes they will produce children and they will also give birth without you playing them and the nooboos will age up to children as well unplayed. The result will be a town filled with his children if the townie sim ladies become pregnant. Not every 'try for baby' interaction will result in a pregnant sim, but a lot will.
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New
GIRAFFELOVERsays...
Cool Hi i have a new mother and she is having triplets should i put her on the gallery?
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Admin
Playalotsays...
Sure, why not. I'm sure people would like to get triplets into their game the easy way! Smile
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New
Annesays...
How do I find the Sim's ID?
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Admin
Playalotsays...
Type sims.get_sim_id_by_name firstname lastname to get the ID of the pregnant Sim.
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New
Scavengersays...
Hello, I tried the cheat tat speeds up the pregnancy into labor and it didn't work... is it because I also tried the cheat to give my sims twins?
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Admin
Playalotsays...
No the cheats both work together. Maybe you made a typo?
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Regular
gracesays...
i used the force labour cheat and i did it 10 times,EVERY SINGLE TIME I GOT A BOY! i always listened to pop music and i wonder if it's a glitch or what....MadScaredUnsure
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Admin
Playalotsays...
Do you mean the force off-spring cheat? I guess it's possible that the cheats changes the possibility outcomes of using pop/alternative strawberry/carrot trick. Unsure
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Regular
Chloesays...
My sim Isla and her fiancé J are having there first baby amd she is being sick and throwing up every where, she is coping with it tho. This helped me as well tha ksLaughLaughLaughTongue
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New
Courtsays...
Sims 3 had more pregnancy cheats if I remember correctly - including a cheat to allow for same sex (genetic) pregnancies. Unless I'm mistaking this for a mod. Does sims 3 have a cheat like this?
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Admin
Playalotsays...
Do you mean does Sims 4 have a cheat for this? No, but there are mods that you can use.
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Regular
Sarahsays...
I have done the sims id cheat thing millions of times and i still cant get it too work can you write it out for me the sims name is Hanna Harril
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Admin
Playalotsays...
testingcheats on

sims.get_sim_id_by_name Hanna Harril
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Regular
anonymoussays...
Wow... This sounds terrible. I was really excited when the game came out but now I'm glad I didn't buy it. I'n sticking with 2,3, and occasionally Medieval
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New
Zoeysays...
Whats up with everyone wanting skinny mothers. Gaining baby weight is natural.Smile
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New
Fmnmmsays...
Huh when shall i use the preg cheat? before preg?
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Admin
Playalotsays...
Once your sim is pregnant. There are no cheats to actually get your sim pregnant... all the cheats work only on sims that are already pregnant.


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