The pitter patter of little feet is always a fun and exciting part of Life Simulation games, especially those that allow for generational play, and Paralives is no different! Experiencing parenthood through adoption or pregnancy, expanding your family, or creating little ones directly in the Paramaker are all features available in Paralives early access release on day one! If you’re looking to bring a new Para into the world, follow the guide below for how to get started and how to stay afloat!
Paralives Guide: Babies, Toddlers, and Caring for Their Needs
Like real babies and toddlers, younger Paras tend to look different from their future adult selves, interact with the world differently, and are reliant on older Paras for caregiving. If you have any Paras under the child stage in the home or on a lot with no caregiver Paras present, generally teens or older, then they will automatically be whisked away to daycare and this will be reflected in your weekly bills statement with a small fee.
Getting Started
Getting your own little one only takes a few easy steps, depending on the route you decide on. While the game may have more options in the future, like IVF/Science Babies/Babies with Medical Assistance, adopting older children, etc., there are three primary ways of expanding the family; Creating babies directly in the Paramaker when you first make the family in question (Or by using the “EDITCHARACTER” cheat after the fact!), trying for a baby and having a pregnancy, and adopting from a health center.
Babies and Toddlers in the Paramaker
Unlike many other life simulation games, the baby stage is not restricted to pregnancy or adoption in-game, but the youngest Paras can be created directly in the Paramaker. In the paramaker, character customization is a bit more limited. Paras can be aged down and edited in that stage, but hairstyles, body types, facial sliders, etc., are more heavily restricted.
If you have parents available, you can choose to mix their genes to create a new child of any life stage under theirs, meaning you can create entire families in the Paramaker. Since Paralives has a true genetics system with inheritance, you can see dominant and recessive genes reflected in different aspects.
Trying for a Baby
If you have two Paras in a romantic relationship, you can progress to the point of asking to have a baby. Like other social interactions of significance, there is often a chance of it failing or succeeding between 0-100%. If it succeeds, they will gain the “Prospective Co-Parent” relationship tag which will unlock trying for a baby!
Paras do not have to be married and it only requires that one can carry a pregnancy and the other can impregnate. As long as they have access to a double bed and have the “Prospective Co-Parent” relationship tag, they can be selected as a group and the “Try for a baby” interaction will appear on the bed. After that, taking a pregnancy test will let you know if it was successful!
Adoption
Adoption is fairly easy and straightforward. In the main town in Paralives, Melino, health centers can be found. The appearance of these vary, as some look like full hospitals and others look like clinics or pharmacies, but they all function the same and can be found with a specific symbol on the overhead map. The other main use of these buildings is being able to cure viruses that children and older can catch while at work or school.
With any Para in the young adult stage or older, click on a health center and click “Adopt a baby”. Your Para will enter the building for a few in-game hours, and when they come back out, they will be holding a baby generated by the game. You can name the baby after from a pop-up on the side. Their surname can also be chose, either matching their adoptive parent or being customized by the player. After doing a few tests, currently, I have found that couples do not seem to be able to adopt children as co-parents. With dating, engaged, and even married couples, it would only detect the parent performing the action of adoption.
The Life Stages
Paralives has eight life stages total, with the two youngest stages being the most reliant on caregivers with very little independence. They cannot function without an teen or older Para on any lot with them, and will disappear to daycare and reappear at home when someone old enough is present. While I’ve found that sometimes children and preteens can assist with their care, the game does not see them as old enough to watch them or care for them alone.
Pregnancy
In the standard storyteller settings, pregnancy has three trimesters that last for 21 hours each. You can adjust the length of trimesters in these settings, with this stage starting from taking a pregnancy test or waiting until the Para discovers their pregnancy once they hit the 2nd trimester.
Paras baby bumps will grow with each new trimester, and the third trimester stage will change their walk style and idle animation. All clothes work with pregnancy, so no maternity wear is required. Paras will have special interactions with others during their pregnancy, like wondering about their baby’s sex, talking about morning sickness, etc.
When labor comes, Paras will have contractions and labor pains at home two hours before the baby or babies appear! As far as we could tell, reactions from family members or household members are not implemented yet. As shown in the storyteller settings where you can change the possibility of multiples, babies can also be born in sets of twins and triplets.
Babies
Babies are fairly limited in interaction and act closer to real-world infants through the few days of the life stage on normal lifespan. They need love, sleep, diaper changes, and food. Caregivers will autonomously check on them, though we noticed you may have to manually direct them to do diaper changes as they don’t seem to autonomously do it much in the current build. They can be placed in their cribs or carried around, but don’t have other pieces of furniture available yet.
While there is only a few currently, babies are able to do self-interactions that allow them to Sleep, Shake their Rattle, or Cry Like a Baby. They do not have any specific personality traits, and will only start to gain personality points as they age in toddlerhood and beyond.
Toddlers
Toddlers are more mobile and autonomous though still somewhat limited. They have many toys they can play with and their interactions with the world around them help them develop simple skills, like their language skills.
They will use their diaper but can also use a toddler potty easily found in children’s items in build mode. To feed them, purchase a high chair and while a caregiver is carrying them, click “Feed in high chair”. They will serve them food and they will need to be let out afterwards.
Para toddlers start to show more features but still do not have access to all the sliders. They can hug and talk with others and play or talk with toys, but their big stages of development and skill success will not happen until they are children.
Are you excited to see the next generation of Paras, or is there another stage you’re looking forward to playing with and experiencing?
Paralives will release in Early Access on May 25th, 2026! We’ll be uploading new guides so you can have references for all the new features and systems on day one, so make sure to keep an eye on The Sims Community!
