The Sims 3/Ages

Aging
Sims are always aging in the Sims 3. On the lots and in the neighborhood. There are 7 stages of life in the Sims 3. Baby, Toddler, Child, Teen, Young Adult, Adult, and Elder. Each stage has a different number of days to complete that age. At the end of a stage, a Sim moves on to the next stage of life. To change the life span of a your Sims, you can go to Options in the game, click on Game Options and slide the Sim Life Span bar to the left or right. This will let you choose how long or short you want your Sims life span to be. All Sims on the lot (the household you are playing) are effected using this option. You can shut off aging by removing the check mark next to the "Enable Aging" box. You can freeze the neighborhood outside your Sims household by turning off "Enable Story Progression". Sims in the neighborhood will stop aging, getting married, having children, and socializing.

Age Transition
When a Sim moves on to the next stage of life you are given a 2 day warning. When a baby grows up to be a toddler, you want to make sure the baby has had a positive experience in order to pick the first 2 traits of that Sim. If the baby Sim has had a negative experience, negative traits will be chosen. If the baby Sim has had a moderate experience, the Sim's traits will be randomly chosen. When a toddler grows up to be a child and a child to a teen, the Sim picks up an additional trait. If the Sim is doing well in each stage of life, you will get to pick a new trait. If they are doing poorly, a trait will either be randomly picked or picked from a list of negative traits. * Below are the number of days in each stage of a Sims' Life.
 * Baby: 2 days
 * Toddler: 7 days
 * Child: 7 days
 * Teen: 14
 * Young Adult: 21 days
 * Adult: 21 days
 * Elder: 16 days
 * You can have a Sim buy a Birthday Cake from the grocery store and set the cake on the counter or a table. Click on the cake and choose "Blow Out Candles". You can then choose what Sim you want to blow out the candles and advance to the next stage of life.

Baby
Babies require a lot of care, but have fewer needs than other Sims. Parents who carry around their babies are limited to sitting on the couch or in a chair away from a table, using the phone, and any other interaction that doesn't require touching. A list of baby's needs are listed below:
 * Energy: Babies get tired quicker than other Sims. When a baby tires it can fall asleep, but not in the middle of an activity. Babies sleep in cribs, so it is a good idea to buy one either before or right after baby arrives. Babies sleep cycles aren't night-day like other Sims. Baby Sim's parents won't be getting much sleep at night, so it is probably best to hire a sitter from time to time so parent Sims can get some rest.
 * Hygiene: Babies relieve themselves in their diapers. This makes the baby Smelly and causes a negative "Disgusted" moodlet on other Sims. Click on Baby and choose the "Change Diaper" option to change baby's diaper. If the "Change Diaper" option isn't selected right away, baby's crying can wake up other Sims in the house.
 * Hunger: Babies need a lot of feeding. To feed baby click on baby and choose "Feed Baby".
 * You must tend to the baby or the baby will get lonely. If you neglect any Sim younger than a young adult, there is a strong chance the Social Worker might show up. The Social Worker will take away the neglected Sim.
 * Babies can only be left with Sims who are teens or older. Child Sims can't take care of babies. If all adult Sims need to leave the house, it is best to call a Babysitter to come over.

Baby Interactions

 * Change Diaper: Baby will smell and give a negative "Disgusted" moodlet to Sims that are around. Baby's Hygiene drops also. Click on Baby and choose "Change Diaper" to clean baby up.
 * Hold: Use Hold to pick up baby and carry him/her around and interact with him or her.
 * Put in Crib: When baby is sleepy you can put him/her in the crib for a nap.
 * Feed Baby: Select Feed Baby to give the baby a bottle when it is hungry.

Baby Socials

 * Snuggle: Snuggle with baby to bring up his/her Social need and to build a better relationship with baby.
 * Play With: Play with baby to bring up his/her Social need and build a better realtionship with baby.

Toddler
Babies grow up to be toddlers. Sim parents can teach toddlers to Walk, Talk, and use the Potty. These are 3 lessons that should be taught to a toddler before he/she ages into a child. Toddlers need attention like babies, so if they are fussing or crying, you should socialize with him/her.
 * Energy: Toddlers sleep more regularly than older Sims, and a little less than babies. Toddlers also sleep in a crib.
 * Fun: Toddlers can play with toys or with other Sims for fun. Buy toys and set them on the floor for toddlers to play with.
 * Hunger: You can feed a toddler in a high chair or give them a bottle while they are sitting on the floor. To feed a toddler actual food you need a food processor.
 * Hygiene: Toddlers will go to the bathroom in their diapers if they are not Potty Trained. If they go in their diapers, they will give the negative "Disgusted" moodlet to Sims around them. Click on the toddler to change it's diaper or play as the toddler and click on the potty if the toddler has been potty trained.

Child

 * Child Sims attend school during the day from 9AM - 3PM. Children can make friends and socialize.
 * Children can use the toy stove to cook muffins, or grab snacks and quick meals from the fridge. They can't cook full meals until they become teens. They can, however learn cooking skills by clicking on the toy stove and cooking there. They can't read cooking books or learn recipes until they are older.
 * Children have curfew warnings letting them know it's time to get home, unless they are on a lot or at a Sim's house they were invited to.

Teen

 * When a Sim becomes a teen they get to choose a Life Time Wish.
 * Teen Sims can get part-time jobs while attending school. Teens must do well in school so they can pick the fifth and final trait.
 * Teens can perform most socials an adult Sim can, except get married and Woo-Hoo. Teens can not have romantic relationships outside their age group. Teen Sims want to have a romantic relationships go steady with other Teen Sims
 * Teens can have a Best Friend Forever. They can only have one BFF at a time. If a teen chooses a new BFF while already having a BFF, the first BFF relationship takes a big hit and has a insulting Short Term Context (STC). (Short Term Context is what a Sim thinks about another Sim in the course of the current conversation as opposed to the Long Term Relationship. The STC is displayed in the convrsation box in the in the screen's upper left as the conversation unfolds. Example: " John thinks Paul is being sociable". )
 * Teens also have curfews like children do, but they can play around them a little bit. Curfew is between 11PM - 6AM. If the Teen is out during curfew, the teen recieves an "Out After Curfew" moodlet. If a teen is out after 11PM and not on the lot of a Sim who invited them over or at home, they risk getting caught by the police. The police will bring them home and teens will recieve the negative "Caught After Curfew" moodlet.

Young Adult/Adult

 * Young Adults and Adults have their 5 traits, and are working on their careers and relationships. They now can perform all socials and interactions relating to their traits and thus far their skills. Young Adults and Adults can get engaged, get married and have children. They now have lots of responsibilities and choices to make.

Pregnancy
Young Adult and Adult Sims have the option to "Try For Baby" when their relationship is high enough. Click on "Try For Baby" and the two Sims will head to the bedroom and "Woo-Hoo." If the "Try For Baby" is successful, a short twinkling verse of "Rock-A-Bye Baby" will sound. (It may take more than one try for the stork to come, so don't give up hope! Practice makes perfect in this case!)
 * When a female Sims first gets pregnant she will get the "Nauseous" moodlet and need to use the bathroom to vomit shortly after. The pregnant Sim will also get hungry more often and need to use the bathroom more frequently to relieve herself. The pregnant Sim recieves paid time off for maternity leave.
 * The second day of pregnancy the pregnant Sim's belly will be more pronounced and do more of a waddle than a walk everywere. The "Nauseous" moodlet is replaced by the positive "Pregnant" moodlet which is also accompanied by the negative "Aching Back" moodlet. To relieve the "Aching Back" moodlet, go to the Day Spa in town for a massage or have the pregnant Sim's spouse give her a massage. Another way to make all Sims happy is to use the "Feel Tummy" and the "Talk To Tummy" social.
 * The third day of the pregnancy the birth will take place at some point. Two hours before the actual birth will be the "Baby Is Coming" moodlet. At this point up up until the mother is in labor (and during)you can send the "mother to be" to the Hospital. When at the Hospital, click on the "Have Baby" option. Whoever takes the pregnant Sim to the hospital will stay inside and all three Sims will not come out until the baby is born.

Twins, Triplets, Girls, Boys, and Newborn's First Traits
There are some things you can do to influence twins, triplets, the gender of the baby, and getting to choose the first two traits of the newborn Sim.
 * Twins and Triplets: Either watching the kids channel on the TV or listening to the children's music station on the stereo during pregnancy slightly increases the chance to have twins or triplets. Doing both gives the pregnant Sim an even better chance of having twins or triplets.
 * Baby Boy: Eating 3 apples during the pregnancy increases the chances of having a baby boy.
 * Baby Girl: Eating 3 servings of watermelon increases the chances of having a baby girl.
 * Newborn Sim's First Traits: How happy the mother Sim is during the pregnancy has an effect on what the baby's first 2 traits will be. If the pregnant Sim was very happy during the pregnancy, you can pick the baby's first 2 traits yourself. If the pregnant Sim was pretty happy, you will get to pick at least one trait and the other trait is random . If the pregnant Sim was in an okay mood during the pregnancy both traits are assigned randomly. If the mother was somewhat unhappy during the pregnancy,then one trait is randomly chosen and the other is picked from the negative trait list. If the pregnancy was a disaster and the mother Sim was completely miserable, both traits will be randomly picked from the negative trait list.
 * To increase the chance that you will be able to pick the newborn Sim's first 2 traits, go to the Bookstore in town and buy the two pregnancy books there. "Baby Incoming: Preparing With Vigilance" and "Totally Preggers: An Expectant Mother's Tale". Have the pregnant Sim read them both if she can.

Elder

 * Elder Sims are the same as Adults, but closer to the end of the road. Keep your elder Sims going stong to the end so they can keep their dignity and have little or no regrets before passing on.