Random baby/toddler questions

[JenW]

I've heard (don't have it myself) that the Prima guide says babies should be left on the floor, and I've also heard the Prima guide is full of shit. Has anyone seen anything within the game coding that would support this? And if so what benefit is it?

And how do you get them to serve dinner to a toddler in the high chair with the rest of the family? Supposedly if you put the high chair up to the table they'll automatically serve the toddler spaghetti or whatever they've cooked for dinner. But I haven't been able to get it to work...if I put the high chair facing the table they can't put the toddler in it, and if the high chair is sitting sideways they won't serve the toddler.

Jen

[veilchen]

I don't use the highchair, so I can't help you there. However, Dizzytwo (Dizzy2 at MTS2 and VS) has a food-related mod over at MTS2, and TJ (twojeffs) has one at VS. I seem to remember having read something about toddlers and highchairs at one of them. I have both mods, and they get along fine so far. Maybe it bears investigation to check them out, but, like I said before, I don't use highchairs, so I wouldn't know first-hand.

[gillies]

You can put the highchair anywhere in the same room and they will 'transform' the food into a bowl of toddler mush - This operation seems to require that they have space to the right or left of the highchair for whatever reason, so if you put two highchairs next to eachother only one toddler will get food.

[gali]

Official Guide:

1) "note:  though it may feel odd, it's ok to leave babies on the floor. No one will step on them and it gives them a chance to take in the world around them."

(continue)
"babies require a crib for sleeping (unless you want them snoozing on the cold ground)".

2) You have to put the high chair instead of the narrow side dining chair, with it's face to the wide wall. Then you have to order the parent/sibling-teen to bring a bottle to the toddler.

[dizzy]

And how do you get them to serve dinner to a toddler in the high chair with the rest of the family?

I put the high chair somewhere in the dining room (away from the table), put the toddler into the chair and then serve food. The food server will dish up a bowl of mush to the toddler, then a regular plate to everyone else.

[J. M. Pescado]

1) "note:  though it may feel odd, it's ok to leave babies on the floor. No one will step on them and it gives them a chance to take in the world around them."

(continue)
"babies require a crib for sleeping (unless you want them snoozing on the cold ground)".

Not strictly true. Babies are perfectly happy dozing off on the floor. Toddlers will want a crib, because they refuse to do anything after a certain point and the floor has poor energy regen, but babies don't care about that, since the efficiency at which you do nothing is unimportant.

Now if babies could do things like suck on a slab of raw meat, like I did, that'd be great.

[ZephyrZodiac]

It really is just a matter of (a) positioning of the high chair and (b) timing that gets the baby fed.  Don't let some helpful teen decide it's time the baby has a bath!  Make sure everyone but the food server is busy doing something they can't stop at will!

If you don't put the baby in the high chair and make it accessible, the parent will keep returning to the high chair, making moues of discontent, and end up serving one extra meal at the table.  However, you can always just click on the fridge as soon as the toddler is in the highchair, and you get the option, serve food.  That's what I do if the teen in question has managed to spirit the baby away to the bathroom - make them see that the child is fed!

[RainbowTigress]

I tried this once to see if the child would actually get served real food like the rest of the family, but after seeing that he only got toddler mush, I decided it was more trouble than it is worth.  I don't even buy my toddlers high chairs.  JMP's baby controller completely ignores them anyway.  My toddlers are perfectly happy getting fed bottles, and I love Inge's bottomless bottle.  After the toddlers are potty trained, they can pretty much take care of themselves until they get tired.

I found out that if a toddler gets too low on several motives, like being tired and hungry and low on social at the same time, it's very difficult for the adult to interact with them at all.  If they try to give them a bottle, they won't take it because they are too busy whining or dozing off on the floor.  The parent can't pick them up and put them in the bed for the same reason.  They won't stop fussing long enough for them to be able to pick them up.  This is what happens when you have too many toddlers at once.   The social bunny does not come for toddlers.  They just get incredibly cranky.

[ZephyrZodiac]

If you're not playing challenges, try putting the flamingo of contentment on any lot with babies and toddlers.  Advantanges, no dirty nappies for the babies, and toddlers never get exhausted so they learn their skills faster.  They still need to use the potty, so potty training is still possible.  However, they don't sleep for long when you do put them in the cot, so it's as well to have them in a separate room, or to use Move_objects to get them up when they wake!

I must admit, I always feed mine with toddler mush, not the bottle, they like sitting in the chair and it gets them out of everyone's way for a bit!

[RainbowTigress]

I tried moveobjects but the toddler still thought she was in the crib.  Her animations were of being in the crib and she was suspended in the air.  It was weird, so I put her back in the crib where her mother came and released her.  How do you get it to work?  I've used Inge's reservable cribs which you can set to allow the kid to let themselves out, but this doesn't work with the baby controller.

[ZephyrZodiac]

I just put them on the floor then tell them to use the potty (if they're potty-trained), or else tell them to play with something.  Usually works, they reset themselves and off they go! 

I don't use the baby-controller, or Inge's reservable cribs (I have Cemre's from TSR and I like them too much to use anything much else now!).

[RainbowTigress]

Ah, ok, I might try that sometime then.  Thanks!

[gali]

I tried moveobjects but the toddler still thought she was in the crib. Her animations were of being in the crib and she was suspended in the air.

Rainbow, it lasts only a few seconds, and if you give the toddler an order, such as "play", or "use" (potty), he stops "being in crib", and perform your order.

I always do it with my toddlers: when he awakes, I take him with moveobjects on to the ground. He still have the animation that he is in the crib, but I give him immediately  the order: "use" (potty), then boost his needs with Merola's multi-painting, and give him to play, until his parents get up.

Sorry, ZZ, we wrote at the same time, and you got ahead of me....

[RainbowTigress]

Sorry, ZZ, we wrote at the same time, and you got ahead of me....

Well thank you too.

[ZephyrZodiac]

Sorry, ZZ, we wrote at the same time, and you got ahead of me....

It happens, Gali!  At least, if we both come up with identical answers, the poster asking the question can be fairly sure the answer is right!

[Bane~Child]

I found out that if a toddler gets too low on several motives, like being tired and hungry and low on social at the same time, it's very difficult for the adult to interact with them at all.

Rainbow,

I don't play with free will off, except when the Sims are cooking ~wink~, but I wonder if free will off would be helpful in 'the critical hour' or if this even applies to the toddler interactions.  Maxian logic I suppose would exclude toddlers from the effects of free will off at their point of no return - afterall they have to be typical toddlers at all times don't they?

[ZephyrZodiac]

I couldn't say, as I always play with free will on, I like to see what my sims will get up to when left to themselves!  I don't find the toddlers that different from any other age group in that left to themselves they choose the nearest fun thing, or the potty if they really need it!  I mean, the only time I've ever seen a sim choose to use exercise equipment is when they visit the college Gym!

[Bane~Child]

Yes, I also play with free-will on for this reason - I like to see what happens.  Going back, I played the Caliente Sisters while they were still in their original Condo together.  They were on the roof talking, when I saw Mortimer arrive at the portal.  He went straight upstairs and Dina arose from her lounge chair as if expecting a kiss.  With Mortimer drawing ever closer to her, which was convincing to both Dina, Nina and myself, he reached out his hand for what I am sure Dina thought would be a caress, then proceeded to slap the tar out of her - it was pure magic.

[RainbowTigress]

In this case I was playing with free will off, using the baby controller and Power Idle to manage the sims.  She had no time for fun except for an occasional flamingo kicking.  Poor thing, she often wondered why she wanted so many babies!  She kept telling herself it would be okay if she could just get through this toddler stage...

[Bane~Child]

I've used Inge's reservable cribs which you can set to allow the kid to let themselves out, but this doesn't work with the baby controller.

This was one of the sadest days of my life - the day that JM premiered his shiny, new baby controller and I found that it was incompatible with Inge's cribs.  We talked it over and I flat out told the Sims they had to make a choice; I didn't pull any punches.  They took down the eye, sighed as they bid farewell, and returned to their lives with Inge's cribs.

[Ancient Sim]

I have that problem with the baby controller, too.  I use some gorgeous cradles for the babies and although the controller tells the parents to "stow", they just put them on the floor, they don't recognise the cradles, so I can't use thev 'eye' to its fullest capacity when they're babies.