How do you age up a Sim in The Sims 4?
How to age up a Sim in The Sims 4
Have a teen or older Sim cook a cake from the fridge or stove. Click the cake and choose Add Birthday Candles. Then click it with the birthday Sim and choose Blow Out Candles or Make A Wish. For a toddler or infant, use Help Blow Out Candles with an older Sim. Click a newborn's bassinet and choose Age Up.
Pack: Base game.
Steps
- Select a teen, young adult, adult or elder Sim.
- Click the fridge or the stove and choose Cook. Pick a cake, for example Chocolate Cake or White Cake (Cooking level 1).
- When the cake is done, click it and choose Add Birthday Candles. It costs 10 Simoleons. Do this before anyone takes a slice.
- Select the Sim who will age up. Click the cake and choose Blow Out Candles or Make A Wish. The Sim moves to the next life stage, even if it is not their birthday.
- For a toddler or an infant, select an older Sim, click the cake and choose Help Blow Out Candles. Pick the young Sim from the list. The older Sim carries them to the cake.
- For a newborn, click the bassinet and choose Age Up. The newborn becomes an infant.
Controls
| Action | PC | Mac | PlayStation | Xbox |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Open the cheat console | Ctrl + Shift + C | Cmd + Shift + C | L1 + L2 + R1 + R2 | LB + LT + RB + RT |
Aging settings in Game Options
Open Game Options and select Gameplay. Auto Age (Played Households) and Auto Age (Unplayed Households) turn automatic aging on or off. Sim Lifespan sets Short, Normal or Long.
On Normal lifespan an infant lasts 5 days, a toddler 7, a child 14, a teen 21, a young adult 28, an adult 42 and an elder 14 days. The game warns you about a day before a birthday.
Infants (2023 update)
The free March 2023 base game update added the infant stage between newborn and toddler. Newborns stay in the bassinet for a short time, then age up to infants. Infants age up to toddlers with a cake and Help Blow Out Candles, or on their own when the stage ends. Infant milestones and quirks need The Sims 4 Growing Together.
Change age with a cheat
Open the cheat console and type cas.fulleditmode. Then open Manage Households, select the household and click the pencil icon to edit it in Create a Sim. Select the Sim and change their age. Confirm to go back to the game.
Common problems
Add Birthday Candles is not in the cake menu
Someone already took a slice. You cannot add candles to a cut cake. Cook a new cake and add the candles straight away.
An infant cannot blow out the candles
Infants and toddlers need help. Select a teen or older Sim, click the cake, choose Help Blow Out Candles and pick the young Sim.
The Sim blew out the candles but did not age up
Players on the EA Forums report this now and then. Try again with a new cake, or change the age in Create a Sim with cas.fulleditmode.
The Sim got a sad moodlet on their birthday
A Sim who ages up on their own with no cake or party gets a sad forgotten-birthday moodlet. Use a cake or plan a birthday party before the day ends.
Cheats on this page
Open the cheat box with Ctrl + Shift + C on PC, Cmd + Shift + C on Mac, or all four shoulder buttons on PlayStation and Xbox. See every Sims 4 cheat.
cas.fulleditmodeUnlocks everything in Create a Sim for a Sim you already have: name, age, traits and aspiration. Type it before you open Create a Sim. More on cas.fulleditmode
In the Sims 4 database
More how-to guides
Play your Sims somewhere new
LifeSim is a free life sim in your browser, set in real cities. It can bring in a household from your Sims 4 Tray files or a save: import a Sims 4 household. It doesn't change your Sims 4 game.
Sources
- GGRecon: How to age up in The Sims 4
- Sims Community: Sims 4 how to age up
- GGRecon: How to age up infants to toddlers
- EA Help: The Sims 4 Cooking skill
- GGRecon: The Sims 4 infants update
Checked on November 5, 2026.
Questions
How do you age up an infant in Sims 4?
Cook a cake and add birthday candles. Select a teen or older Sim, click the cake and choose Help Blow Out Candles, then pick the infant. The infant becomes a toddler.
How do you age up a newborn?
Click the bassinet and choose Age Up. The newborn becomes an infant.
Is there an age up cheat in Sims 4?
Type cas.fulleditmode in the cheat console, then edit the household from Manage Households. In Create a Sim you can pick any age for the Sim.
How long is each life stage in Sims 4?
On Normal lifespan an adult lasts 42 days and a young adult 28 days. Short halves these times and Long makes them four times longer. See the lifespan table for every stage.