How to Have Kids in Stardew Valley: Tips, Secrets, and More (2024)

Co-authored byHannah Dillon

Last Updated: October 16, 2023Fact Checked

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1. 1

   Meet the requirements to have children. In order to have a child in Stardew, your character must be married for at least 7 days, must maintain a relationship of 10 hearts with their spouse, and must have upgraded the Farmhouse two times (which adds a nursery and an extra room.)^[1]

   • You can only have two children; if you have two already, you cannot have any more.
   • If you remove the crib from your Farmhouse, you'll have to replace it before you can have children.
2. 2

   Wait for your spouse to ask if you want a child. Every night, there is a 1/20 chance that your spouse will ask if you want a child. You can answer "yes" or "not now." If you say "yes" you begin the process of having a child, and if you say "not now" your spouse will have a 1/20 chance to ask you again each night after that.

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   • Opposite-gender couples will have biological children, and same-gender couples will have adopted children. The only difference is that a same-gender spouse will ask if you want to adopt a child instead of have one.^[2]
   • The gender of your first child is random. The second child born (if there is one) will be the opposite gender of the first. You're only allowed to have one son and one daughter.
   • In multiplayer, the main player will randomly be asked if they want children overnight. If they say "yes," their farmhand spouse will be asked. If both players say "yes" a child will be born or adopted with the same rules as if your character was married to an NPC.

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3. 3

   Progress the game 14 days. It takes 14 days for a child to arrive, no matter if they are biological or adopted. If you have a biological child they will appear in a crib in the nursery, and if you have an adopted child they will show up in the middle of the night with a note from the adoption agency.

4. 4

   Keep progressing the game to move through the child's growth stages. Each child has four growth stages:

   • Stage 1 is 14 days long, and the child will be a baby sleeping in their crib. You cannot interact with the child yet, as all interactions will just be the baby sleeping.^[3]
   • Stage 2 is 14 days long, and the child will still be a baby in their crib, but will be awake for part of the day. If you interact with the child, your player can toss them in the air, which will improve your friendship. At 7 p.m. the child falls asleep and can't be interacted with.^[4]
   • Stage 3 is 28 days long, and the child is now out of the crib and can crawl around. The children can play with toys, but will return to their crib at 7 p.m. and cannot be interacted with while sleeping.^[5]
   • Stage 4 is the final stage of your child's growth. This is known as the toddler stage, and your child will not get any older. Toddlers will run around the house, and can be taken to community events like the Stardew Valley Fair. You can interact with your child to raise friendship.^[6]

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1. Children can be dismissed at the Witch's Hut. By offering a Prismatic Shard to the Dark Shrine of Selfishness at the Witch's Hut, you can turn your children into doves. This will make them leave the farm permanently.^[7]

   • If you have a crib in the house, your spouse may ask you again if you want children.
   • If your child is wearing a hat, it will show up in the Lost and Found the morning after they are dismissed.

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1. 1

   Toddlers (stage 4) have a few bugs. They may run through walls and out of the map, but this can be fixed by resetting the day or sleeping to progress to the next day. They also may stay up at night permanently, but this doesn't affect any other part of the game.^[8]

2. 2

   Hats can be placed on toddlers. If you want to remove a hat, hold a different hat and click on the child. The old hat will pop off. If you want to add another hat, you'll have to interact with the child again while holding a hat.^[9]

3. 3

   There are several secrets if you turn your children into doves. These secrets are all supposed to be scary or spooky in nature. You can get a mysterious phone call as well as summon an Ancient Doll monster if you watch the TV on Fall 26. If you have a four-corners farm layout, you may catch an Ancient Doll while fishing. If you turned multiple children into doves, there's a chance they may fly past in formation when at The Summit.

See Also
Parent reviews for Stardew Valley

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