How to Make Kids Grow Up in The Sims

Last Updated: May 25, 2021

This wikiHow will teach you how to grow your Sims up in The Sims franchise. The Sims 3 and The Sims 4 allow you to age up Sims at any time, while The Sims 2 requires use of cheats and The Sims 1 requires an expansion pack.

Method 1

Method 1 of 4:

The Sims 4

1
Direct a teen or older Sim to make a cake. Click on a fridge or stove, click Cook..., and select any kind of cake available. (It doesn't matter what flavor the cake is - it has no effect on gameplay.)
2
Place birthday candles on the cake. Once the cake has been set on a surface, click on it and choose Add Birthday Candles (§10). This will cost ten Simoleons.
- Birthday candles can be added to the same cake multiple times as long as no Sim takes a piece out of it.
- Once birthday candles are on a cake, Sims cannot take a piece until the candles have been blown out.
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3
Direct the child Sim to blow out the candles. Select the Sim you want to age up, click on the cake, and choose Blow Out Candles. The Sim will blow out the candles and age up, and you'll get to pick a new trait (and potentially aspiration) for them.
- To age up a toddler, select the toddler and choose Candles Help.... Pick a teen or older Sim who will carry them to the cake. (You can also select the older Sim, choose Help Blow Out Candles..., and select the toddler.)
- Some other actions on the cake, like Make a Wish and Taste Frosting, will also trigger the age transition.
Alternative Method: If you're aging up a baby, just click on the bassinet and click "Age Up". A teen or older Sim will walk in front of the bassinet, which will shake and sparkle, and a toddler will spring out of the bassinet into your Sim's arms - no cake required.

Method 2

Method 2 of 4:

The Sims 3

1
Buy a birthday cake. Birthday cakes can be used at any time to age up a Sim. You can purchase one at the grocery store, or you can find one in Buy mode under Entertainment > Parties.
2
Place the birthday cake on a surface. Consider placing it outside, as there's a slim chance of the cake catching fire.
3
Direct a Sim to blow out the candles. Click on the cake and select Blow Out Candles. A menu will come up with all Sims in the household; select the Sim you want to age up.
- If you're aging up a baby or toddler, you'll need a teen or older Sim present to carry them to the birthday cake.
4
Wait for the Sim to age up. Once your Sim has blown out the candles, they'll age up to the next life stage and will gain a new trait.
5
Use testingcheats instead. If you don't mind cheating, you can use testingcheats to force the child to grow up.
- Press Ctrl+⇧ Shift+C. This will open the cheat console at the top of the screen.
- Type in testingcheatsenabled true and press ↵ Enter.
- Hold down ⇧ Shift and click on the Sim you want to age up.
- Click Trigger Age Transition. The Sim (and any nearby Sims) will start the birthday animation, and then the young Sim will grow up.

Method 3

Method 3 of 4:

The Sims 2

1
Enable testingcheats. Press Ctrl+⇧ Shift+C, type in boolprop testingcheatsenabled true, and press ↵ Enter.
- You need Nightlife installed for this method to work.
2
Select the Sim you want to age.
3
Hold down ⇧ Shift and click the Sim. Find and select Spawn....
4
Spawn the Sim Modder. Find and click Sim Modder in the Spawn menu. A baby doll will appear next to your Sim.
5
Click the doll and select Set Age.
6
Choose the desired life stage. Depending on the age of your Sim, you'll have four options for what age they should be. Pick the next life stage, and your Sim will immediately age.
- For example, if you want to grow up a child, click Teen.
- You can also choose to skip certain life stages entirely, or age the Sim down.
7
Direct the Sim to grow up a day before their birthday. If the Sim is already close to aging up and you just don't want to wait an extra day, you can manually direct them to age up without using cheats.
- Wait until the day before they age up. (You'll get a pop-up in the corner of the screen saying, "[Sim name] will grow up in one day at 6 PM.")
- Select the Sim that you want to grow up.
- Click on the Sim and choose Grow Up.
Alternative Method: If the Sim is a baby and is a day away from aging up, buy a birthday cake from Buy mode and have a teen or older Sim help the baby blow out the candles.

Method 4

Method 4 of 4:

The Sims 1

1
Purchase the Sims Makin' Magic expansion pack. Without Makin' Magic or third-party hacks, there's no way to age up child Sims in The Sims 1.
2
Get the Sim a magic wand. These are delivered by the Mystery Man when he first comes by your lot, and allow your Sim to use or create magic. You can create further wands with the Spellbound Wand Charger or MagiCo NeoMagical Newt, or by purchasing more from the Mystery Man.
3
Learn the magic spells and charms. The specific charm you need your Sim to create is the Age of Instant charm, which can only be crafted by children.
4
Buy a bookshelf. Have your Sims read the spellbook and cookbook to find out what you need for specific magic.
5
Have an adult gather the ingredients for The Age of Instant spell. The spell requires two dragon scales and one toadstool. Once you've obtained the ingredients, put them in the child Sim's inventory.
- Dragon scales can be purchased from Vicki Vampires in Magic Town, or picked up after grooming a dragon.
- Toadstools are delivered by the Mystery Man when he drops off the starter kit, but they can also be purchased from Apothecary Todd in Magic Town or collected by sitting on the Champignon Toadstool Chair.
6
Have the child put the ingredients in the child's spell maker. You'll need to have a MagiCo NeoMagical Newt to craft the Age of Instant potion.
- Click on the NeoMagical Newt, click Add..., and click Toadstools.
- Choose Add..., and click Dragon Scales. Then add dragon scales one more time.
- Click on the NeoMagical Newt and choose Make Magic. It will create a charm, which looks like several rainbow rings with a bouncing plumbbob on top.
7
Cast the spell. Click on the newly-created charm, click Cast..., and choose Age of Instant. You'll get a warning that this spell is permanent and that the lot will immediately be saved. Click on Yes to age your Sim up.
- The child will lose all previous skills or spells, and may not look anything like they did as a child.
- If your child's grades are B+ or below, and they have low motives, they'll curl up on the ground and become a baby instead.

Community Q&A

Question

How do I get my Sim to grow up in FreePlay?

Community Answer

Use a birthday cake. Click the birthday cake; it should say, "Put birthday candles" (which costs Sim dollars). After you put the candles on, click the option that says, "Blow out candles," and choose whichever Sim you want to grow up.
Question

How do I get a child in Sims 1 to become a teen?

Community Answer

Unfortunately, this isn't possible; The Sims is limited to the child and adult life states. (Babies aren't considered a life state by the game - they're considered objects rather than Sims.) Teens are available in later games, however, from The Sims 2 and onward.