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How can we make pregnancy and infants more interesting? For this game or future ones

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StrawberryYogurtStrawberryYogurt Posts: 2,799 Member
edited February 2020 in The Sims 4 Ideas Corner
I think it can be much more fun!
I haven't played TS4 in a while (so maybe some features are already a part of the game I don't know about) , but I believe there is a feature where the mom is sad she isn't pregnant if she takes a test, right? Maybe a depressed moodlet if the sim hates children, but she is either happy or neutral if she doesn't have a family-related trait. I really love that feature and being able to breast feed. Here are some ideas I'd like:

A baby shower with options to have a gender reveal
23-Gender-Reveal-Party-Ideas.jpg

Screen-Shot-2013-08-22-at-9.28.41-AM.png
Gender pinata!

Lots of different gender reveals are popular. An object like this gender balloon to reveal the gender would be really fun. In TS3 parents have a wish for wanting a girl or a boy specifically (dont remember if TS4 does) but they also get a boost in their initial relationship with their child from that. I'd love that!

Pregnancy classes
childbirth-class-56a689a23df78cf7728ede30.jpg

Couple pregnancy classes that can give an extra bonus to a child's skill learning when they're born or some other incentive to attend them

Midwives and ultrasounds
shutterstock_17771644.jpg

Midwife can live with the family and deliver the baby and a few days after. An ultrasound to find out the baby's gender and see if you're having twins


What else can you think of?
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Comments

  • RhiannonravenRhiannonraven Posts: 128 Member

    I think these are great ideas! The sims 4 definitely needs some improvement on pregnancy and babies. I do worry about having a gender reveal, I know a lot of people have been asking for it on the forums, but I think that that enforces gender stereotypes that we are trying to pull away from in society. Here is a funny meme to go with my statement:

    Gander-Party-Finnished.jpg?fit=1500%2C1700&ssl=1
  • StrawberryYogurtStrawberryYogurt Posts: 2,799 Member
    I think these are great ideas! The sims 4 definitely needs some improvement on pregnancy and babies. I do worry about having a gender reveal, I know a lot of people have been asking for it on the forums, but I think that that enforces gender stereotypes that we are trying to pull away from in society. Here is a funny meme to go with my statement:

    Ok that mean's pretty funny lol
    But I'm not someone who is in opposition to some so-called "gender stereotypes", and not trying to pull away from it. So I'd love something like the gender reveal. There are sooo many kinds of ideas people use, but I think the balloon pop is the most popular and probable to enter the game.
    Do you have any ideas on pregnancy improvement?

    Id also like a way to have birth control? So that way sims can whoo-hoo with free will on and not have to worry about getting pregnant. Or maybe a way to sterilize yourself at the hospital...or maybe im going too far lol
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  • RhiannonravenRhiannonraven Posts: 128 Member
    @StrawberryYogurt Currently in the game you can't get pregnant unless you "Try For Baby", Woohooing is completely risk free. I would love to have a risk of getting pregnant even when you just woohoo. Other interesting things would be pregnancy failures like miscarriages.
  • StrawberryYogurtStrawberryYogurt Posts: 2,799 Member
    @StrawberryYogurt Currently in the game you can't get pregnant unless you "Try For Baby", Woohooing is completely risk free. I would love to have a risk of getting pregnant even when you just woohoo. Other interesting things would be pregnancy failures like miscarriages.

    But can sims whohoo on their own without being prompted?
    Miscarriages are interesting to me. I wouldn't mind them but I respect people who say they don't want them in the game because of their past experiences. Then again, some have had miscarriages and still want them in the game. I think maybe if you really exerted yourself as a female sim? But maybe it'd be very difficult to miscarry your sim
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  • RhiannonravenRhiannonraven Posts: 128 Member
    @StrawberryYogurt Currently in the game you can't get pregnant unless you "Try For Baby", Woohooing is completely risk free. I would love to have a risk of getting pregnant even when you just woohoo. Other interesting things would be pregnancy failures like miscarriages.

    But can sims whohoo on their own without being prompted?
    Miscarriages are interesting to me. I wouldn't mind them but I respect people who say they don't want them in the game because of their past experiences. Then again, some have had miscarriages and still want them in the game. I think maybe if you really exerted yourself as a female sim? But maybe it'd be very difficult to miscarry your sim

    They can't woohoo without being prompted right now, I sure hope they still wouldn't if accidental pregnancies became a thing.
  • StrawberryYogurtStrawberryYogurt Posts: 2,799 Member
    They can't woohoo without being prompted right now, I sure hope they still wouldn't if accidental pregnancies became a thing.

    I wish they could. They can kiss or flirt without being prompted so why not? Then again sometimes your sim flirts with a random sim...wouldn't want them randomly having sex with a townie lol; ;;
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  • NoirStasisNoirStasis Posts: 243 Member
    I think it can be much more fun!
    I haven't played TS4 in a while (so maybe some features are already a part of the game I don't know about) , but I believe there is a feature where the mom is sad she isn't pregnant if she takes a test, right? Maybe a depressed moodlet if the sim hates children, but she is either happy or neutral if she doesn't have a family-related trait. I really love that feature and being able to breast feed. Here are some ideas I'd like:

    A baby shower with options to have a gender reveal
    23-Gender-Reveal-Party-Ideas.jpg

    Screen-Shot-2013-08-22-at-9.28.41-AM.png
    Gender pinata!

    Lots of different gender reveals are popular. An object like this gender balloon to reveal the gender would be really fun. In TS3 parents have a wish for wanting a girl or a boy specifically (dont remember if TS4 does) but they also get a boost in their initial relationship with their child from that. I'd love that!

    Pregnancy classes
    childbirth-class-56a689a23df78cf7728ede30.jpg

    Couple pregnancy classes that can give an extra bonus to a child's skill learning when they're born or some other incentive to attend them

    Midwives and ultrasounds
    shutterstock_17771644.jpg

    Midwife can live with the family and deliver the baby and a few days after. An ultrasound to find out the baby's gender and see if you're having twins


    What else can you think of?

    At least the ultrasound visit. GTW has the hospital and maybe they can add a new object and an extra room in the hospital for this, or use the same object that delivers the babies and just add a scan option, but you have to check in at front desk first. I wish the hospital was utilized more too, like the illnesses Sims see in doctors career, you don't see it out in the world

    Being able to call the doctor while pregnant on the phone that you get a positive moodlet from would also be a nice feature

    A ultrasound picture that you get after it is done could make it more interesting as well

    Maybe pregnant Sims who are having a harder time get something from the doctor that they take everyday that helps the baby and makes them feel better and gets rid of the uncomfortable moodlet


    Undoing babies as objects would help too
  • GuccifiGuccifi Posts: 1 New Member
    Maybe let us give natural birth’s as well like as in we can give birth in bathtubs or hot tubs and they send over a nurse or someone to help rather than just have the baby just pop out.
  • ListentoToppDoggListentoToppDogg Posts: 2,103 Member
    I like your ideas for pregnancy. I really want ultrasounds so I can baby's gender and how many they're having before birth. And then the baby showers and gender reveals would be great to have as parties or events after finding out the gender. Of course the gender reveal should be linked to how many babies the sim is having, so if you're having boy-girl twins you'll get one blue cake and one pink one. I don't own this game but based on footage I've seen, I think in TS3 you could have moodlets based on if you wanted a boy or girl baby; I think it would be cool to have that in TS4 as well and the sim could have specific relations based on if the baby was the gender they wanted.

    To this I'd also like to add more higher multiples to be able to be conceived. Instead of stopping at triplets, I'd like to go up to sextuplets.

    For babies, a complete overhaul. This video highlights everything I'd like to see for babies in the game.
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FBJqbJpbETs

    Tldw version: Crawling, being fed at the highchair, toys, real cribs, changing table, learning to stand and take the first few steps, different clothes and accessories.
  • StrawberryYogurtStrawberryYogurt Posts: 2,799 Member
    Guccifi wrote: »
    Maybe let us give natural birth’s as well like as in we can give birth in bathtubs or hot tubs and they send over a nurse or someone to help rather than just have the baby just pop out.

    Yes I like this idea too!
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  • StrawberryYogurtStrawberryYogurt Posts: 2,799 Member
    For babies, a complete overhaul. This video highlights everything I'd like to see for babies in the game.
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FBJqbJpbETs

    Tldw version: Crawling, being fed at the highchair, toys, real cribs, changing table, learning to stand and take the first few steps, different clothes and accessories.

    Well I think some things in the video crossover to what toddlers can do. But I do like the rattle playing and the walker is super cute
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  • RiveniaSimsRiveniaSims Posts: 54 Member
    I love all these ideas! And while I am thankful for mods that let you do some of these things (like the ultrasound), they should just be included in the game since not everyone plays on PC and doesn't have access to mods.
  • MovottiMovotti Posts: 7,774 Member
    Gender reveal? I think you need to google "Why gender reveal parties are problematic"
    Gender resides in the brain, it's not something an ultrasound will discover. Most children express their gender between the ages of 2 and 6. Until they tell you, it's just assumed.
    Not to mention that pink originally was a masculine colour, and had been so for thousands of years, before someone decided to make money out of switching it to blue, and convincing people that they needed to tell the world what a baby had between it's legs, in a colour code. Meanwhile blue has been a feminine colour for at least the last 2000 years. But for infants, white was the colour of choice for most of the history of cloth, because any cloth used for a baby would have to be laundered often, white was the practical choice, it could be washed and bleached on a regular basis, and unlike coloured fabric, it wouldn't fade. Right up until the 1940s, baby boys were dressed the same as baby girls, all wore frilly petticoats with their nappies, and cardigans and leggings for warmth.

    And frilly petticoats for babies is something I do want.
    What is it? Well, they called it 'a baby'
    11133a50ba64a677dd1bb0c8d8014d4f.jpg



    I'm not particularly enthused about baby showers... baby baths make more sense :p
    baby-bath-vintage.jpg



    Personally I'd like babies to be 'sick' occasionally, like in the real world, where new parents panic about every slight temperature rise, or sniffle.
    Babies that scream all night, no matter what is done to try to soothe them, only to have them sleep all day.

    Guccifi wrote: »
    Maybe let us give natural birth’s as well like as in we can give birth in bathtubs or hot tubs and they send over a nurse or someone to help rather than just have the baby just pop out.
    I like that idea. Maybe include the option of an inflatable birthing pool, similar to a kiddie pool.

    WB002-Birth-Pool-in-a-Box-Mini.jpg
    AmusingExhaustedArchaeopteryx-max-1mb.gif
  • ChazzzyChazzzy Posts: 7,166 Member
    Honestly, I don't think they want to draw any more attention to babies until they add some substantial features to that "life state".
  • StrawberryYogurtStrawberryYogurt Posts: 2,799 Member
    edited February 2020
    @Movotti


    I like that idea. I love the frilly dresses! I love pioneer style dresses, I wish we had some of those and more western style clothes for adults. Irl I have a prairie style dress from H&M I love love love. Ones like these vintage Gunne Sax dresses:
    6f46067a4a2ae69df9f06a998e818a35.jpg
    P0.jpg

    These kind of dresses with a Farming expansions with the ability to churn butter, milk cows etc... omg, id be in love

    I don't see an issue with gender reveal parties, It's more like a personal belief if you see them as harmful or not. They're just colors to help others to easily identify the sex of the baby, I don't see them as harmful. Depends on your own perspective, but I'm not one who sees anything wrong with them.

    Some games babies do cry often all night, but yes seeing them sick could be cool too
    Post edited by StrawberryYogurt on
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  • StrawberryYogurtStrawberryYogurt Posts: 2,799 Member
    edited February 2020
    deleted
    Post edited by StrawberryYogurt on
    The Sims has currently lost its identity. Bring it back for TS5

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  • StrawberryYogurtStrawberryYogurt Posts: 2,799 Member
    Chazzzy wrote: »
    Honestly, I don't think they want to draw any more attention to babies until they add some substantial features to that "life state".
    [/quote]

    That's what the thread is about-making the life stage interesting. I usually don't bother with babies or toddlers at times even, and age them up quickly because their life state doesn't have much to do. But the more features the more fun theyll be to play
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  • DaWaterRatDaWaterRat Posts: 3,351 Member
    MTS_Evvi-1811248-Fulleffectpools.jpg

    Oh just seen this mod. Would be awesome in the game

    What mod is that? From what I can see, that came with Seasons. Because my sim family has that very pool in their inventory.

    I'm generally not a fan of gender reveal parties myself, but as long as they're optional, I don't really care if they're in the game. (I went out of my way to keep my daughter's bio-sex secret because I didn't want to be saddled with tons of pink. I wound up having to tell everyone I was a non-fan of pink and please don't get me stuff in it. I still got pink stuff that was among the first to be "passed on" even if she hadn't grown out of it yet.
    She's now a 19 year old straight A student with a 4th degree black belt who likes high heels and hates pink more than I do.)
  • StrawberryYogurtStrawberryYogurt Posts: 2,799 Member
    edited February 2020
    DaWaterRat wrote: »
    MTS_Evvi-1811248-Fulleffectpools.jpg

    Oh just seen this mod. Would be awesome in the game

    What mod is that? From what I can see, that came with Seasons. Because my sim family has that very pool in their inventory.

    I'm generally not a fan of gender reveal parties myself, but as long as they're optional, I don't really care if they're in the game. (I went out of my way to keep my daughter's bio-sex secret because I didn't want to be saddled with tons of pink. I wound up having to tell everyone I was a non-fan of pink and please don't get me stuff in it. I still got pink stuff that was among the first to be "passed on" even if she hadn't grown out of it yet.
    She's now a 19 year old straight A student with a 4th degree black belt who likes high heels and hates pink more than I do.)

    Oh excuse me, I thought it was a mod!! :D I'll delete my previous sentiment. The page I was looking at added movement skill to the pool as the mod.Yeah she could've got flooded with pink stuff. My sister for a grad party got box after box of perfume from people who didnt know her well and couldnt think of what to get a young girl. About the fourth time she opened a bath and body works gift basket things got awkward lol;; I hated pink as a child because I thought it was too girly and I was a tomboy. Now as an adult I like it, my bedrooms theme is pink black and grey :p
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  • ChadSims2ChadSims2 Posts: 5,090 Member
    I think these are great ideas! The sims 4 definitely needs some improvement on pregnancy and babies. I do worry about having a gender reveal, I know a lot of people have been asking for it on the forums, but I think that that enforces gender stereotypes that we "you" are trying to pull away from.
    Had to correct your statement because your speaking for everyone as if that's a fact. With that said I find gender reveal parties weird as if there needs to be another party to get gifts from is the baby shower not enough.
    Sims 4 went from "You Rule" to "One of the stories we want you to tell"
  • StrawberryYogurtStrawberryYogurt Posts: 2,799 Member
    ChadSims2 wrote: »
    I think these are great ideas! The sims 4 definitely needs some improvement on pregnancy and babies. I do worry
    Had to correct your statement because your speaking for everyone as if that's a fact. With that said I find gender reveal parties weird as if there needs to be another party to get gifts from is the baby shower not enough.

    I thought the gender reveal parties and baby showers are combined. Are people doing 2 parties?!
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  • MovottiMovotti Posts: 7,774 Member
    ChadSims2 wrote: »
    I think these are great ideas! The sims 4 definitely needs some improvement on pregnancy and babies. I do worry
    Had to correct your statement because your speaking for everyone as if that's a fact. With that said I find gender reveal parties weird as if there needs to be another party to get gifts from is the baby shower not enough.

    I thought the gender reveal parties and baby showers are combined. Are people doing 2 parties?!

    They are two separate things. Baby showers used to be simple and practical. Now they seem to have become more like the 'gender' reveal parties: ridiculous and over the top, and a sign of greed.

    Traditionally, baby showers were to gift basic items to the mother-to-be. A basic layette, in white or cream, cute cardigan, booties, and cap sets, in white, cream, butter or mint... or peach, if your friend/family member was cruel.
    Cloth nappies, as in, a stack of squares of white or striped flannelette. And maybe the accompanying safety pins, proper ones, with the lock mechanism. Maybe a Bunnikins dinner set, for when baby is older: Plate, bowl, drinking cup, and egg cup. A jr cutlery set, sometimes containing a knife, sometimes with just the fork and spoon. The best ones are metal, not plastic.
    Sometimes the gifts were more for the mother, items to assist in breastfeeding, slippers, chocolates, etc.
    Sometimes the gifts were baby toys.

    But now it seems to be a competition as to who gets the most expensive gifts, and it's not about practicality, just money.
    AmusingExhaustedArchaeopteryx-max-1mb.gif
  • StrawberryYogurtStrawberryYogurt Posts: 2,799 Member
    Movotti wrote: »

    They are two separate things. Baby showers used to be simple and practical. Now they seem to have become more like the 'gender' reveal parties: ridiculous and over the top, and a sign of greed.
    But now it seems to be a competition as to who gets the most expensive gifts, and it's not about practicality, just money.

    Oh I didnt know that. A friend of mine did a gender reveal but it was joined in the baby shower. In game id imagine them being the same and a gender reveal an activity for the shower. Besides in the game its not real money and sims dont give gifts anyway lol
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  • DaWaterRatDaWaterRat Posts: 3,351 Member
    Movotti wrote: »

    They are two separate things. Baby showers used to be simple and practical. Now they seem to have become more like the 'gender' reveal parties: ridiculous and over the top, and a sign of greed.
    But now it seems to be a competition as to who gets the most expensive gifts, and it's not about practicality, just money.

    Oh I didnt know that. A friend of mine did a gender reveal but it was joined in the baby shower. In game id imagine them being the same and a gender reveal an activity for the shower. Besides in the game its not real money and sims dont give gifts anyway lol

    See... that's where a Gender Reveal option becomes intrusive for those who don't want it. I don't do goaled events often, but a baby shower could be fun ... until I need to do the gender reveal activity, because I don't like gender reveals - because I'm one of those people who doesn't like to put gender expectations on others. Yes, it's just a game. But it's a game that reflects how we think, and I think Gender reveals are... Much ado about Nothing... with all the Shakespearean puns there ... intact.

    I suppose there could still be two parties - Baby Shower and Baby Shower with Gender reveal. Or the gender reveal option could only be triggered if you have certain items (such as the balloons) on lot. Or if we could cancel out of a particular goal and have the game generate a new one... (I could use that feature anyway, actually.)
  • LuxuryLuxury Posts: 127 Member
    personally, I'd love gender reveal parties in-game! if they're implemented they probably should be separate from baby showers for people that don't want the gender reveals. as much as I want gender reveals though, I could see them not doing it because they're pushing the game as inclusive and people would flip if they were included.

    the game definitely needs ultrasounds and the ability to call the doctor while pregnant.
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