Stardew Valley is more than just a farming game; it’s a life simulation where you can build relationships, start a family and even have children. The base game features simple child mechanics. However, the mods take it a step further. From evolving interactions and unique dialogues to changing the child’s physique and features, these mods make this game immersive, interactive, and more entertaining. So, keep reading this blog as we’ll guide you about Stardew Valley children’s adoption to developmental stages. Moreover, we’ll suggest you top 10 Stardew Valley children mods to make your gaming experience more engaging.
What’s the point of having children in Stardew Valley?
The primary purpose for children in Stardew Valley revolves around family role-playing. Remember, there isn’t really a significant change to the gameplay mechanics because of this addition. As always, soon after getting married, your spouse will ask you if kids are on your to-do list. If the answer is yes, you will have a child, while in case you are adopting, your kid will be at your place in no time.
While kids certainly do not change the daily chores and tasks that you probably have to perform, they do change the overall energy in the house for the better. You will now get to see kids crawl, walk and play, which adds to the ‘cosy’ feeling that you mentioned.
Moreover, kids certainly do not assist you with farming, but they do help with strengthening the bond with your spouses. Your spouse will interact with the children and they may even talk about the family in the conversations.
To sum it up, children in the game are there to give players the opportunity to role-play and exercise their freedom of decision. However, a big family or a quiet life on a farm is totally up to you.
Parental controls let your kids explore and enjoy — with peace of mind for you.
Stardew Valley children’s guide
Having a family in Stardew Valley is completely optional, and players can choose to either embrace or ignore it. Kids will not help you around the farm, but having them creates warmth in the house and boosts the relationship with your spouse. In addition, the only difficulty you will encounter with raising children is the few decisions to make along the way. Let’s go more in-depth on how exactly that works!
i. How to have children?
Keep in mind that raising kids in the Stardew Valley game is like real life. So, it’s not that simple to dive straight into kids; there are several prerequisites which have to be fulfilled first!
Getting married: As the saying goes, you gotta have a partner before you start a family. It now makes sense to use the Mermaid Pendant. Find someone who you are interested in and pursue gifting them until you reach a friendship level of 10 hearts. And yes, children come after the wedding only which marks the start.
Farmhouse upgrading options: First, scooping up an oversized cabin will not cut it for a family as you will have to upgrade your house at least two times to add a nursery with a crib. If you wish to have children in the family, then this change is a must.
Relationship with spouse: You must have a happy marriage. Then your partner will ask if you want to have a kid or not. If the reply is yes then take a seat child will be coming very soon.
Biological vs adoption: Children in Stardew Valley irrespective of whether you give birth to them or adopt will be identical. If you are in a same-gender marriage scenario then opt for adoption.
ii. Stages of child development
In the event a child moves into your house the next step is fostering them and each in-built stage has a specific time frame!
| Stages | Time frame | Development |
| Stage 1: Newborn | 0-14 days | Baby just remains in the crib and sleeps 24/7. |
| Stage 2: Slight Movement | 14-28 days | Baby begins to move a bit in their crib. |
| Stage 3: Crawling | 28-56 days | Baby starts to crawl and move around the house. But they are not permitted to leave the house. |
| Stage 4: Toddler | Fully grown | He starts walking around the house but with no further progress. |
iii. Interacting with children
Friendship: You can be friends with your child just like any other villager through daily interactions. They may lack a visible friendship metric but do have a way of valuing attention.
Gifts: Unlike villagers, children do not accept gifts. To children, affection is derived solely from one’s presence.
No friendship decay: Moreover, the positive thing around this is that after they milestone to the toddler stage, their friendship doesn’t diminish further. So, for your own sanity, you don’t have to interact with them on a daily basis to keep them jovial.
iv. Dismissing Children.
If you, for whatever reason, ever change your mind on wanting to remove children, you can do so from the Witch’s Hut. There is a Dark Shrine Of Selfishness where you use a prismatic shard to turn your children into doves. This extreme option does exist.
10 Stardew Valley Children mods worth playing
If you have been keen enough to pay attention, you will notice that the game Stardew Valley has a very simple child system. Your grown children tend to remain infants for life, do nothing and don’t interact with the environment.
However, with mods, your children won’t serve the purpose of mere cutout characters. These children will now make walks around town, have their unique schedules, and even lend a hand in farm chores. So, if you are looking for something more purposeful along with dynamic family life in Stardeew Valley, then these 10 selected Stardew Valley children mods are just for you!
Customization Mods – Make Your Kids Unique
1. Customizable Baby and Children’s Mod
This is the perfect mod for all those who love changing their inside-the-game family. Now you can change your child’s hair, clothes and even face so it meets your ideals. Regardless of all children sharing the same look, your family members will actually be different and very distinct. Thus, this mod ensures that you can always experience something new throughout the game.
2. Everyday Children Haircare Mod
Would you want your children to look more natural as they grow? This mod will change their hairstyles over time to reflect how people grow in real life. Furthermore, you can also give them haircuts, which, although small, adds charm to your daily activities. This mod contributes to your children feeling more human and part of your evolving farm life.
3. Growing Valley – Child NPCs Mod
Don’t you wish your children had more freedom than just being cooped up indoors for the entire day? With this mod, now your children can roam around Stardew Valley’s Child NPCs freely like actual NPCs. They go to various places, interact with the villagers and even have their very own personalized timetables. This means that instead of being passive background characters, your children become active members of the community.
Interaction and Dialogue Mods – Build a Stronger Connection
4. Unique Children Talk Mod
Your children have started using the exact same lines over and over again it annoys you to no end. With this mod, these conversations become more interesting. Your children will now talk about the weather, their hobbies, and even farm activities. It adds a new light to the character interactions which makes them feel refreshing and enjoyable while strengthening the bond between you and your in-game family.
5. Immersive Unique Children Talk Mod
This mod goes a step further by allowing your children within the game to respond to various activities taking place. They will celebrate birthdays, acknowledge festivals, and notice some changes on the farm. If you want children in your story to feel realistic and more active, this mod makes a significant difference.
6. Immersive Family Mod
Imagine if the spouse and the children actually had a conversation. With this mod, family members celebrate events, show concern for each other, and interact in highly realistic ways. It makes your family life richer and realistic at the same time, adding warmth to your home.
➔NPC and scheduling mods – Daily Routines and Activities
7. The Farmer’s Children Mod
Have you ever thought it would be nice if your kids could join you in doing some work on the farm? With this cosmetic modification, they can! Your kids will help with watering the crops, feeding poultry, and even petting the animals. This makes them feel like genuine household members, not mere characters. If you want a family that works collaboratively, this modification is for you!
8. Little NPCs Mod
Instead of staying cooped up indoors all day, your children will now have a more organized daily schedule. They will participate in lessons, hang out with their classmates, and explore various sections of the town. This modification bestows them with a degree of freedom and enables them to become fully integrated into the community of Stardew Valley.
Other Notable Mods – Aging and Realism
9. Child Age-Up Mod
Stardew Valley is quite limited in the sense that your children never age. Thus, this mod addresses this issue by letting them go through different life stages – from infancy to toddlerhood, childhood, and then pre-adolescence. Each stage comes with improved behaviors and interactions which makes parenting in the game more rewarding. The ability to witness your children’s growth adds an emotional touch and feeling of progression to family life.
10. Pregnancy and Birth Events Mod
In the base game, the births of children feel arbitrary and sudden. This mod adds a much-needed realistic build-up to a child’s delivery by implementing a pregnancy and birth process. Meaningful conversations about the baby will be had between you and your spouse, there will be a waiting time, and a special birth event will add emotional value to the whole experience. Kids are now a pleasant surprise rather than a race against time.
In short, these mods add depth to ‘Stardew Valley’, turning it into a more personal family experience. If more actively involving yourself as a parent in the game has been one of your wishes, these mods will do the trick!
Parental tips: What to know when children play Stardew Valley
Today, people of different age groups, children included, enjoy soothing games such as Stardew Valley. The game not only provides deep farming simulation, but one can also live the in-game family life by getting married and having children. These features have the capacity to shift a child’s perspective on social life, obligation, and responsibility concerning the daily activities that he/she experiences. Unlike many action-packed games, spending time on ‘Valley’ teaches you the virtue of patience and hard work.
Most importantly, youngsters develop a sense of responsibility tending to friendships, animals, and even crops. The possibility of having children within the game allows younger audiences to engage with simplified versions of parenthood, which they ordinarily wouldn’t encounter. Thus, the game helps children by subtly teaching them essential values in a playful manner.
What parents should monitor when children play Stardew Valley?
As your child plays Stardew Valley, remember to manage their screen time, social interactions, and in-game behavior. The game can become multiplayer which enables private chat and could place your children at risk for cyberbullying. Aside from this, the game is relatively family-safe.
Moreover, depending on the children’s ages, some issues like marriage may need to be discussed. Aside from everything, monitor children so they do not excessively indulge in gaming and try to keep a healthy balance of other activities integrated with gameplay. So, if you want to have full control over your kid’s digital activities, then employ the FlashGet Kids parental control tool.
➢Use of FlashGet Kids parental control app
This third-party software is specially designed for kids allowing parents to actively monitor their kid’s digital whereabouts. Let’s have a look at its features which enable you to understand how it proves beneficial to make your kids safe while playing Sterdew Valley!
- Screen time: owing to this app, you can limit the screen time on individual apps or games like Stredew Valley. Thus, if kids try to exceed the set time limit, they will get an instant alert.
- Usage report: It also provides you with a detailed summary report of your kid’s device usage on a daily basis. Thus, you may get to know how much time your kids have spent on the Sterdew Valley game.
Thus, the use of FlashGet Kids, and also having discussions with children about their in-game themes easily direct children towards achieving balance away from the game.
