Toddler skills are skills that only toddlers can learn.
The Sims 2 and The Sims 3[]
In The Sims 2 and The Sims 3, the basic toddler skills are:
- Learn to speak: This can be taught by any teen, adult or elder controllable Sim clicking on the toddler and choosing Teach to Talk. In general, nothing in particular happens after a toddler learns this. However, in The Sims 2, if two toddlers playing together at a toy box[confirmation needed] or Teeny Tykes Activity Table[TS2:FT] have learned to talk, they can build relationships fairly quickly.
- Learn to walk: This can be taught by a teen, adult or elder controllable Sim clicking on the toddler and choosing Teach to Walk. After learning this skill, a toddler can stand and walk, which is faster than crawling, though they are still slower than older Sims. Toddlers who have learned to walk are able to escape their crib if their fun motive gets low[TS2]. In The Sims 2 and The Sims 3, they can get toys out of toy boxes themselves. In The Sims 3, toddlers that have been taught to walk will be standing when changing appearance" and planning outfit while in CAS.
- Potty train: This can be taught by a teen, adult or elder controllable Sim clicking on the Potty Chair and choosing "Potty Train <toddler name>." This cannot be done if the toddler's bladder need is all the way green. In The Sims 2, the option will not appear unless the potty chair is empty. If the potty chair is not empty, the Empty option will appear when the chair is clicked on. In The Sims 3, the potty chair must be emptied after each use, otherwise puddles will leak from it. The best time to attempt potty training is when a toddler's bladder meter is low; the longer the toddler has to sit on the potty chair, the more progress he or she will make in learning the skill. Once a toddler has been potty trained, he or she will be able to use the potty chair when their bladder meter is low, and without supervision, which can be quite helpful. However, if a toddler is left in their crib too long (which they can't leave of their own free will) and their bladder meter goes down to the very bottom, the Sim will fill their diaper, and will need to have it changed by a teen, young adult, adult or elder Sim.
Toddlers can also learn skills for later life by using certain toys. In The Sims 2, they can play with the rabbit head for charisma, the xylophone for creativity, and the block game for logic. Toddlers can use the activity table with the FreeTime expansion to draw or to play with blocks, allowing them to learn creativity and mechanical skills, respectively. FreeTime also allows toddlers to gain charisma by learning and singing the nursery rhyme.
In The Sims 3, toddlers and children can learn up to three skill points in a skill by using certain toys. These points don't appear until the child grows into a child/teenager (depends on the skill) and attempts something related to the skill (such as cooking a meal or reading a cookbook for the cooking skill).
The Sims 2[]
In The Sims 2, toddlers do not need to learn these skills to grow up well, as that depends on the level of the toddler's aspiration bar when he or she grows up. In fact, PlantSim toddlers[TS2:S] start out with all three basic skills already learned. However, toddlers will often roll high-value wants to learn each of their three basic skills, so learning them can help a toddler grow up well. Teaching these skills can also be high-value wants for parents, especially those with the Family or Knowledge aspirations. With FreeTime, learning the toddler skills gives the toddler lifetime aspiration points. A toddler will form a positive memory of learning the skill from whichever Sim did the last bit of teaching before the skill was learned, and that Sim will get a positive memory of having taught the skill. Not learning the three basic skills will not have any negative effect on a Sim's later life.
FreeTime also adds the Nursery Rhyme skill, which, unlike the three basic skills, can be taught by children as well as by older Sims. Learning this skill enables the toddler to sing the Nursery Rhyme, which will raise Music and Dance enthusiasm and charisma skill. Unlike other toddler skills in The Sims 2, the toddler will not get a memory of learning the Nursery Rhyme, but the older Sim will get a memory of having taught it. Also, while the toddler will not gain lifetime aspiration points for learning the Nursery Rhyme, learning it and teaching can be significant wants for toddlers and parents. Also, toddlers who have learned the Nursery Rhyme will frequently roll 500-point wants to sing it with a parent, and 500 points is significant for a toddler. This can be particularly important to PlantSim toddlers, as they do not start out with this skill.
The Smart Milk aspiration reward will make toddlers learn skills faster. If the Seasons expansion is installed, toddlers will learn skills faster in the fall. If the Sim doing the teaching is wearing a Thinking Cap, the toddler will learn faster.
The Sims 3[]
In The Sims 3, learning these skills can bring in lifetime happiness points. In The Sims 3, a toddler must learn these skills in order to age well. This will affect whether or not the player will be able to choose a new trait when the toddler grows up into a child.
The Sims 4[]
See Fundamental skill.