How to have kids in Stardew Valley

Kids light up our lives, even in the virtual world. You may think you know what it takes to have kids, but things work differently in the world of Stardew Valley, and you are going to have do a few not so fun things.

Much like real life, you can’t just have kids overnight in the game as well—there’s quite an extensive process you’ll need to undertake. Here’s everything that you need to do to have kids in Stardew Valley.

What are the requirements to have kids in Stardew Valley?

Before you can go ahead and have your own babies in Stardew Valley, there are a couple of prerequisites that you are needed to fulfill:

• Obtain a Farmhouse that is upgraded till you get a Nursery.
• Marry your partner and stay married for at least seven days.
• Maintain a ten-heart friendship level with your partner.

Building a Nursery: Requirements

The Nursery is included in the second upgrade package for the Farmhouse. It’s one of two new rooms introduced with the renovation, featuring two single beds and one crib. Positioned adjacent to the corner room, it is situated above the midpoint between the bedroom and living room, ideal for your young children.

After getting the first upgrade—which adds a kitchen and allows you to get married—you need to buy the second farmhouse upgrade that adds a Nursery, a crib, and two single beds, this time allowing you to have children as well.

The initial upgrade requires 10,000 gold and 450 wood, with Robin completing the work in three days. Subsequently, the second upgrade, including the Nursery, demands 50,000 gold and 150 hardwood, also with a three-day completion period.

Choosing a bachelor or bachelorette for marriage

If you’re currently single, consider mingling with the eligible bachelors and bachelorettes of Stardew Valley and romancing characters such as Abigail or Sebastian. Elevate your friendship by engaging in conversations, attending movies together, or presenting them with cherished gifts, particularly on their birthdays. As your bond strengthens and you unlock more hearts, you’ll witness intriguing cutscenes and additional perks while cruising down the path of eventual matrimony.

After attaining an eight-heart friendship level with a potential spouse, go ahead and buy a bouquet from Pierre’s General Store. Giving this bouquet as a present to your partner signifies the beginning of a romantic relationship, enabling you to further develop your bond up to ten hearts. Marriage still isn’t immediate: You’ll need to cultivate two more hearts in your relationship before tying the knot.

Upon achieving the coveted ten-heart milestone, you can buy a Mermaid’s Pendant from the Old Mariner. He typically appears on the east side of the Beach during rainy weather, provided you’ve already repaired the broken bridge with 300 wood. However, he’ll only sell this item if you’ve upgraded your house with a kitchen, which you can easily get with the first upgrade.

Give your partner the Mermaid’s Pendant, and get ready for your wedding in three days. After tying the knot, wait a week before you can start thinking about having kids, as long as you’ve met all the other requirements.

Keeping your spouse happy

Your bond with your spouse will naturally fade over time, unlike with other villagers. But keeping it strong isn’t too hard. Just make sure to chat with them regularly, give them gifts they love, and avoid doing things that upset them. 

Keeping their heart level at ten hearts or higher is key to starting a family. Be mindful that your spouse might get jealous if you’re overly friendly with other potential partners. And of course, stay faithful to your spouse—cheating isn’t cool.

How to get married in multiplayer in Stardew Valley

If you plan on marrying another player in Stardew Valley’s multiplayer, the process is a little different but thankfully much easier.

You don’t have to bother the Old Mariner for a Mermaid Pendant this time; instead, you have to craft a Wedding Ring for your fellow farmhand. Crafting one will cost you five Iridium Bars and one Prismatic Shard.

You can buy the recipe for the Wedding Ring from the Wandering Merchant for 500 gold. There’s no need to build a relationship level first—you can get married right away as long as you have the resources needed for the ring.

Having kids in Stardew Valley

After tying the knot, there’s a five percent chance your spouse will stir in the wee hours, asking if you’re ready to embark on the adventure of parenthood. Should you accept, you’ll have the joy of naming your little one and officially stepping into the role of parents. Two weeks later, your new addition will make their grand entrance, appearing snugly in the crib.

In opposite-gender couples, the female spouse will give birth after 14 days, even though she won’t look visibly pregnant. But for same-gender couples, they’ll need to work on adoption paperwork, and then one night, a child will magically appear in the crib. You’ll even get a note saying the adoption agency has delivered your baby. Okay, maybe not that magical then.

Your children will progress through several stages of growth, but they stop growing after Stage Four and remain in the Toddler stage. Below is a table detailing how you can best interact with your child to increase friendship levels with them as they grow up in the Nursery.

One thing to note is that there are differences in how the system of friendship and its levels work when it comes to your kids. You cannot give gifts to your children, and every friendship point that you gain or lose at The Luau or through the Bulletin Board Bundle won’t affect your relationship with them. Unlike with your spouse, your bond with your kids won’t diminish once it reaches ten hearts, similar to how it works with other villagers, which makes maintaining good relationships with your children a relatively simple endeavor.

Can you get rid of your kids in Stardew Valley?

Yes, you can get rid of your kids in Stardew Valley. Thankfully, the process and result aren’t as dark as one would imagine. If you no longer want to keep your kids around, you can “dismiss” them.

To dismiss your kids, you must have completed either the Community Center or Joja route, completed the Dark Talisman quest for the Wizard, and gained access to the Witch’s Hut.

Deep within the Witch’s Hut, you will find three enigmatic shrines, one among them being the ominous Dark Shrine of Selfishness. Present a Prismatic Shard to the Shrine of Selfishness, and you will be able to dismiss your children who will then be turned into doves and fly away. That certainly could have gone worse, right?

What happens when you dismiss your kids in Stardew Valley?

Dismissing your kids in Stardew Valley can unlock a bunch of creepy Easter eggs. If you’re not ready to be spooked out out of nowhere, you are gonna wanna be wary of these:

• Strange phone call: Once you receive a peculiar telephone call and answer, you’ll be met with harsh static. Amidst the noise, you discern an eerie, otherworldly voice spelling out, “Y-O-U H-A-V-E F-O-R-S-A-K-E-N U-S.” 

• Cursed doll: On Fall 26, while watching TV at the Standard Farm and selecting the “???” channel, you’ll encounter something eerie. Suddenly, a cursed doll will appear on your screen, accompanied by a chilling message: “You’ve brought this upon yourself… Now I’m free… Hee hee hee!” As you exit the screen, the doll will transform into a dark bird and fly away.

• Ancient fishing doll: Residents of the Four-corners Farm might stumble upon an Ancient doll while fishing with bait, or discover it inside Fishing Treasure chests. It’s a peculiar item that you can only fish up once.