7 Toddler Challenge
* chapter index *
Time for a change of pace! Here's something I played in 2016, but didn't post: the 7 Toddler Challenge.
I can't find the rules that I used, but they go something like this:
- move 1 adult and 7 toddlers into a house
- do not hire help to look after the toddlers
- raise the toddlers to childhood without losing them to the social worker
I create a four-bedroom bungalow worth §30,262. I start the challenge with §35,000, so I have §4,738 in funds until I can get out to work.
When I say 'I', I do mean myself. I'm playing this challenge with my Sim-self.
I'm excited to join my challenge 'hood! Some of my favourite Sims live here.
Outfit (471) by AnnaMaria Sims
Using the Tombstone of Life and Death, I add four girls and three boys to the household. We'll get acquainted with them as they appear in this update.
I lock potty-training into their wants panels. This will happen! In my own panel, I lock in the oceanography job so that I don't lose sight of my Lifetime Want.
Starting out the way I mean to continue, I make everyone happy by buying a toy.
Then I send them all to the play tables while I start potty-training. I've got this system, see.
Spoiler: it doesn't work because their needs decay too quickly.
From left to right, we have Adriana, Angel, and Ocean, with Laura in the background.
Starting at left, again, here are Heidi, Marcel, and Skylar.
Trivia time! In terms of daily relationship stats, Skylar likes me the most (42/0) and Ocean likes me the least (14/16). I'm determined to be friends with all of them by the time they age up.
Marcel's hair (Cool Sims M63 Maxi) mesh by Cool Sims, re-coloured by Piggi's Sims
It's the welcome wagon! My nearest neighbours - Amelia Penn, Lark Hansov, and Alan Merchant - walk over to meet me.
Amelia's hair (04656) mesh by Peggy, re-coloured by Piggi's Sims
Toddler challenge? He's on it! Lark jumps right in by tickling Skylar.
Lark's outerwear (Leather Cycle Jacket/Jeans) by All About Style via Wayback Machine
Lark Hansov appears courtesy of Nocommente/N99
So, the first round on the potty was not a complete success: I wasn't able to train the boys before they used their diapers. Still, 4 out of 7 isn't a bad start.
I change Ocean's diaper and put him down for a nap.
123 Nursery Set by Foxybaby/MTS
While I change diapers, Lark keeps an eye on the kids. Here he is, creeping up on Adriana for a surprize tickle-attack.
She is only half-aware of what he's up to.
Uh, oh -- that's not a good sign. A hungry Laura falls asleep on the floor.
That's better! You'll sleep more comfortably in the crib.
Meanwhile, Amelia distances herself from all this childcare by staying in the front yard.
Mice and Flowers Nursery Set by Foxybaby/MTS
"Over here! She's right here!" Lark points out.
"Quiet, you fool!" Amelia replies. "I came here to welcome, not to babysit."
But you know who's completely useless? Alan Merchant. He refuses either to be greeted or to auto-enter the house. Instead, he keeps ringing the doorbell and waking up the babies!
In contrast to these two, Lark is quite ready to lend a hand -- or a bottle.
In fact, he's too helpful. I'm less pleased with him when he picks up Adriana just as I'm about to feed her.
Highchair from Peppermint Nursery Set by Foxybaby/MTS
He smooths things over by telling a joke.
I need a good laugh. At this point, I note my frustration over actions dropping out of the queue. I'll never get everything done!
And then, quite unexpectedly, Marcel goes platinum.
Let's compare his stats to mine, shall we? I tell you, this challenge is hard work!
To be fair, Amelia does come inside (under cover of darkness). The sight of a child passed out on the floor shocks her into keeping Marcel and Ocean company.
I need all the moral support I can get when the game issues its first hunger warning!
Lark goes home and a wolf starts to prowl. I'm not going to read too much into that coincidence.
In fact, I'm beyond caring. My strategy has been reduced to basic survival: feed, change, crib.
Keeping up my energy and hunger bars is a problem, so I invest in an espresso machine. Bonus! Drinking coffee is fun.
I re-charge while Amelia frets. And stinks. Grief! Can't anyone maintain personal hygiene around here?
Coffee does the trick! I'm even able to get Adriana to the potty in time. Previously, I was logging near-misses.
Celebrate those small victories!
Day two starts with more success. Earlier, I wasn't able to pick up Heidi to change her diaper or put her to bed, which was worrisome. This morning, I can do both!
I'm also able to clean up *one* bottle before my attention is required elsewhere.
Sorry, kids. Whisper-Mummy needs a few moments to re-charge.
Oh, thank goodness! We've reached the half-way mark.
I'm not sure that I'm gonna make it. At this point, I just want to get struck by lightning and end it all. But not before I gain a logic point, so that I can understand why I started this challenge, in the first place.
I have no more images or significant notes from the second and third days. Basically, I was just playing flat out to keep everyone clean, fed, and resting on soft surfaces.
I'll submit this screenshot, however, as proof that I didn't lose anyone along the way.
It's the big day! Marcel wakes up early, so he's the first to age up.
Normally, I wait until the evening for birthdays, to give toddlers the maximum lifestage. I've done my time in this challenge, though, so I'm applying for early parole.
Marcel is my prize toddler. Here's his scorecard:
Little Wonder
4,250 aspiration reward points
3 lifetime aspiration points
3 mechanical skill points
BFF with Skylar
I put my Little Wonder straight to work, cleaning up sour bottles.
At the other end of the spectrum, we have poor Skylar (the bald one). He has the dubious distinction of being the first toddler in my game to Grow Up Badly.
On the plus side, we now know the colour of Skylar's hair. It's red, okay? It's red.
Hectic Handful
0 aspiration reward points
2 lifetime aspiration points
2 mechanical, 1 charisma skill points
Friends with Heidi, BFF with Marcel
I only managed to get two kids to the cake. I help Angel to make a wish, and then Marcel and Skylar join me and Adriana.
As a sidenote, Laura transitions with the fear of cleaning up a mess. We'll see how that works out for her in this messy house.
Except for Marcel, everyone is filthy and exhausted. But we made it!
For better or for worse, this challenge is over bar the clean-up.
In conclusion, the 7 Toddler Challenge is really hard! I had high hopes of achieving life skills, like potty-training. In fact, I could barely keep everyone fed and conscious. I played this challenge through in one marathon session, and let me tell you, I was exhausted by the end of it -- both in real life and in the game!
Having said that, I really like these kids and want to continue playing with them. In fact, I feel I owe it to them, since they didn't get off to a very good start. So, stay tuned for 7 Toddlers Grow Up!
Thanks for reading!