Author Topic: Tips for Top-Notch Toddlers?  (Read 9891 times)

Offline Whirligig

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Tips for Top-Notch Toddlers?
« on: February 13, 2017, 05:05:09 PM »
Hey everyone!

So I didn't want the first toddler I ever played in TS4 to be in my IDC because I knew I'd struggle the first go. So I made a fresh game and decided to play around with the Spencer-Kim-Lewis household. Basically, their toddler is now aging up as a happy toddler, but I didn't quite manage to reach top notch toddler. While I didn't go quite so far as using cheats, I'm not playing with any restrictions. Plenty of rally the troops and so forth. But even with 4 caretakers (Vivian died partway through, Alice was able to plead for Dennis for a while. Alice and Eric were also both working), I couldn't quite get all skills maxed.

Do you focus on one skill at a time? Or level all of them? I was kind of working with 'get all skills to level 2. now get all skills to level 3.' etc, but I'm wondering if just focusing on one at a time might work better?

So Alice had another baby and she's about to become a toddler. So I'm going to try this again (though it's a pity I have no more grandparents. Teen-sister Olivia will have to do I guess). Just wondering what tips, tricks, and suggestions the power players on this forum might have for getting toddlers to be top-notch. :)
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Offline Playalot

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Re: Tips for Top-Notch Toddlers?
« Reply #1 on: February 13, 2017, 08:08:45 PM »
A toddler will level in both communication and thinking when an adult teaches them basic shapes on the flash cards so although I always level thinking first I try to do as many actions that will effect more than one skill at a time. I also make sure I always use the toddler to ask for food, bath etc as that helps to level communication. Leveling two toddlers is actually easier than just having one as you can have both toddlers playing simshape (thinking) while talking to each other(communication) etc.
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Offline lesleyj42

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Re: Tips for Top-Notch Toddlers?
« Reply #2 on: February 13, 2017, 11:31:55 PM »
I have also found that it helps to teach them whichever skill gets a boost from their current mood. So if the toddler is happy teach him/her thinking or communication, if playful work on imagination, if energized teach movement.  Potty train whenever they need to go.

Offline FrancescaFiori

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Re: Tips for Top-Notch Toddlers?
« Reply #3 on: February 13, 2017, 11:47:20 PM »
I've only raised one top-notch toddler so far, so take this with a grain of salt, but I found the trick of keeping fresh fruit or vegetables in the toddler's inventory and having them eat it whenever they need a happy moodlet to be extremely helpful.
I liked rotating the skills they worked on as they often became sad or angry when kept on the same activity for too long.
In the end, I found I needed to keep my toddler up and skilling until her energy was at least in the orange zone in order to have enough time to get everything done. My instinct was to put her to bed as soon as she hit yellow, but toddlers just sleep too much! Plus, the fruit usually kept mine in a good enough mood to keep going even when tired.
Oh, and never use the high chair. It's cute but wastes time and half the time they knock the food on the floor anyway, so you have to start all over.
Looking forward to hearing other tips!


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Re: Tips for Top-Notch Toddlers?
« Reply #4 on: February 14, 2017, 12:12:07 AM »
Even better tip with fruit etc is to have a normal and a perfect as the moodlets stack.
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Offline Whirligig

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Re: Tips for Top-Notch Toddlers?
« Reply #5 on: February 21, 2017, 07:46:59 AM »
Okay, first of all, thanks everyone for the tips! I definitely tried all of these the second time through and did a lot better (potty maxed, all others to level 4), but still not quite there. I tried the multitasking, I made use of my fruit plants, I ditched the high chair and mostly had the kid help himself to food after dragging it from the fridge to the floor near him (he almost always woke up with hunger in bright red, I wanted to get food into him as fast as I could), usually followed by instructing a grown up to either read to him or talk to him while he ate. And he pretty well had a grown up helping him with skills all the time (I gave him the clingy trait) but I still feel like he spent more time sleeping than actually getting things done.

Is there any challenge-legal way to max their motives like you can with other sims? You can't rally the troops or write books of life for them - can they use moodlet solvers? Or do I just need to manage nap time better?

I have also found that it helps to teach them whichever skill gets a boost from their current mood. So if the toddler is happy teach him/her thinking or communication, if playful work on imagination, if energized teach movement.  Potty train whenever they need to go.
I definitely tried to do a lot of this, but how do you trigger playful/energized moods? The only way I found was bathtime, but that seemed to be random (bubble bath definitely gives playful, but normal bath can give either playful, energized, or happy?). They are also apparently unaffected by emotional decor and by emotional food (silly gummy pancakes didn't give a playful moodlet).
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Offline Junan

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Re: Tips for Top-Notch Toddlers?
« Reply #6 on: February 21, 2017, 09:21:46 AM »
Okay, first of all, thanks everyone for the tips! I definitely tried all of these the second time through and did a lot better (potty maxed, all others to level 4), but still not quite there. I tried the multitasking, I made use of my fruit plants, I ditched the high chair and mostly had the kid help himself to food after dragging it from the fridge to the floor near him (he almost always woke up with hunger in bright red, I wanted to get food into him as fast as I could), usually followed by instructing a grown up to either read to him or talk to him while he ate. And he pretty well had a grown up helping him with skills all the time (I gave him the clingy trait) but I still feel like he spent more time sleeping than actually getting things done.

Is there any challenge-legal way to max their motives like you can with other sims? You can't rally the troops or write books of life for them - can they use moodlet solvers? Or do I just need to manage nap time better?

I have also found that it helps to teach them whichever skill gets a boost from their current mood. So if the toddler is happy teach him/her thinking or communication, if playful work on imagination, if energized teach movement.  Potty train whenever they need to go.
I definitely tried to do a lot of this, but how do you trigger playful/energized moods? The only way I found was bathtime, but that seemed to be random (bubble bath definitely gives playful, but normal bath can give either playful, energized, or happy?). They are also apparently unaffected by emotional decor and by emotional food (silly gummy pancakes didn't give a playful moodlet).

If their communication skill is sufficient enough, they can tell a Knock Knock Joke which can give them and the other Sim they told it to a +1 playful moodlet, same if you instruct them to make a mess with their food. If they play with a toy from the toybox for long enough, they also get a +1 playful moodlet.

Energized, they may randomly get a +1 energized moodlet if they have the Wild trait and if you get the energized moodlet from the bath, you can then use a "Take Clothes Off" interaction which provides another +1 energized moodlet.

For Happy, fully finishing a meal and getting a full night's sleep provide a moodlet each. If the toddler has the Fussy trait, tell them to interact in some way with a parent to get the +1 "Got my Way" happy moodlet; the same trait can allow them to throw a fit anytime and if an adult responds, they get a +1 "Under my Thumb" happy moodlet. If your toddler is lucky with the nesting blocks, they can also get a +1 happy moodlet from playing with that toy (unlucky results in an angry moodlet instead). Toddlers with the Independent trait get a +1 "On my Own" happy moodlet as well.

Did you also know that toddlers can watch TV to raise their Imagination skill?

Toddlers, like older Sims, are also vunerable to the emotional influence of a vampire's Influence Emotions power, so they can tip the balance in your favor.



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Offline lesleyj42

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Re: Tips for Top-Notch Toddlers?
« Reply #7 on: February 21, 2017, 09:27:17 AM »
Silly toddlers also get random playful moodlets just because they're silly.
I didn't know about the knock knock joke moodlet. Thanks for the tip, @Junan.

Offline Whirligig

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Re: Tips for Top-Notch Toddlers?
« Reply #8 on: February 21, 2017, 06:20:20 PM »
Thanks heaps, Junan :-) Really useful tips!

I had another 3 am thought. Has anyone done any playtesting to determine whether or not toddler skills are affected by the "Matriarch/Patriarch" reward trait? (From completing Big Happy Family)?

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Offline lesleyj42

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Re: Tips for Top-Notch Toddlers?
« Reply #9 on: February 21, 2017, 11:12:21 PM »
They are definitely affected. That was my easiest toddler by far. Top notch with 2 days to spare.

Offline Junan

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Re: Tips for Top-Notch Toddlers?
« Reply #10 on: February 23, 2017, 07:12:38 PM »
fully finishing a meal

Just to tack on something to this: Do not bother with the high chair for feeding a toddler unless you want that Food is Fun moodlet; just put the food your older Sims cook into one of those display cases from Get to Work and the toddler can just help themselves to it by sitting on a nearby living chair, loveseat or sofa. :)

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Re: Tips for Top-Notch Toddlers?
« Reply #11 on: February 23, 2017, 11:14:17 PM »
fully finishing a meal

Just to tack on something to this: Do not bother with the high chair for feeding a toddler unless you want that Food is Fun moodlet; just put the food your older Sims cook into one of those display cases from Get to Work and the toddler can just help themselves to it by sitting on a nearby living chair, loveseat or sofa. :)

It's interesting how differently we all play. I always use the high chair as I find the interactions just too cute to ignore. If you have 2 toddlers they will chat and eat raising needs and communication plus the chatting will allow them to be in the highchair for some time longer than when you just have one.

But, saying that, if I was playing a challenge there is no way I'd use the highchair! lol
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Offline oshizu

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Re: Tips for Top-Notch Toddlers?
« Reply #12 on: February 24, 2017, 02:32:37 PM »
@Junan
That's a genius idea about the display case. Do you mean the Lice Cooler? *runs off to try it, oh wait, I don't have any toddlers in my game now

I believe I'll have a new batch of toddlers next week, so I'll try out your tip then. I'd just been moving food out of the fridge to the dining table...

Offline Junan

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Re: Tips for Top-Notch Toddlers?
« Reply #13 on: February 24, 2017, 02:37:08 PM »
@Junan
That's a genius idea about the display case. Do you mean the Lice Cooler? *runs off to try it, oh wait, I don't have any toddlers in my game now

I believe I'll have a new batch of toddlers next week, so I'll try out your tip then. I'd just been moving food out of the fridge to the dining table...

No not that display case. There's two of them: Frigidare Refrigerated Display and Baker's Cousin Display Case. Both of them have the same function as the fridge in terms of food spoil timer but any Sim can reach it, even toddlers. They're meant for those bakery retail stores but you can place them in a house; I make use of these by dragging freshly cooked food right onto one of their open spaces.

Offline oshizu

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Re: Tips for Top-Notch Toddlers?
« Reply #14 on: February 24, 2017, 02:41:57 PM »
Oh, thanks for clarifying and saving me the trouble of testing all the display cases!

Haha, I'm very partial to the Lice Cooler because retail customers can grab food from it and pay for it themselves, plus it has a smaller footprint.
Okay, I will definitely try one of the two you specified. Much appreciated!

 

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