Key Takeaway
Having children in Stardew Valley is only possible once you’ve been married for at least seven days and have the fully upgraded Farmhouse to include the nursery and the crib. You can have a maximum of two children: a boy and a girl. Children have four stages of growth, stopping once they reach toddler age.
When relationships bloom, the logical next step is to bring new life into the world with children. Parenthood adds an extra social element to the game, but there are some requirements you must meet before having kids in Stardew Valley.
Table Of Contents
Requirements for Children in Stardew Valley
Having children in Stardew Valley isn’t quite as simple as implied by the story of the birds and the bees. You must reach some specific criteria before you get a chance to have some offspring. This goes for having children biologically in an opposite-sex couple or adopting if you’re in a same-sex pairing.
- Be married for at least seven days
- Have and maintain at least a ten-heart relationship with your spouse
- Own the fully upgraded Farmhouse with two extra rooms and the nursery with a crib
WarningFor that perfect nuclear family, players can only have a maximum of two children: a boy and a girl. It’s completely randomized in which gender you’ll have first, and your second child will be the opposite. For example, if your first child is a girl, your next one is guaranteed to be a boy.
Time in Stardew Valley moves in mysterious ways. Once out of the newborn baby stage, your children will permanently stay around toddler age, keeping them your little bundles of joy forever!
How to Get Married and Reach 10 Hearts
Before thinking about having children, you’ll need to find the perfect partner. You can choose from any of Stardew Valley‘s eligible bachelors and bachelorettes, regardless of gender.
- Bachelors: Alex, Elliott, Harvey, Sam, Sebastian, Shane
- Bachelorettes: Abigail, Emily, Haley, Leah, Maru, Penny
Once you’ve reached friendship level 8 with your chosen marriage candidate, you can purchase a Bouquet from Pierre’s General Store for 200g. You can gift these colorful blooms to your beloved, signaling your intent to enter a serious relationship. At this point, you unlock two extra friendship hearts for a maximum of ten, with special heart events for each new milestone.
When you’ve worked your way to ten friendship hearts, you can buy the Mermaid’s Pendant for 5,000g from the Old Mariner on the east side of the beach. Here’s the kicker, though: he only spawns when it’s raining, and you must have repaired the bridge with the required materials to reach him.
TipThe Old Mariner will only ever sell the Mermaid’s Pendant to you once you’ve upgraded your Farmhouse to have a kitchen, allowing space for a spouse to move in with you.
The Mermaid’s Pendant acts as an engagement ring. Gift it to your partner, and you’ll hear wedding bells at the official ceremony three days later! Your spouse will also immediately move in with you—say goodbye to the single life. You will have to wait seven days before the chance to have kids opens up, with a 1/20 chance every night of your spouse asking if you want to have/adopt a child.
Upgrading the Farmhouse
Upgrading the Farmhouse at the Carpenter’s Shop is the final major stepping stone in the end goal of having children. The first upgrade expands the player’s house, adds a kitchen, and allows a spouse to move in. This initial upgrade requires 10,000g and 450 Wood.
The second upgrade introduces a nursery with two cribs. This upgrade is costly, requiring 150 Hardwood and 50,000g. Both upgrades take three days for Robin to complete.
Having Kids in Stardew Valley
When all the above criteria are met (married with at least ten hearts and upgraded Farmhouse), there will be a 1/20 chance that your spouse will ask if you want a child every night.
If you say yes, the baby will either be born, or the adoption process will be accepted fourteen days later. When you wake up on the fourteenth day, you’ll get to name the child, and the baby will be sleeping in the crib.
Saying no has zero consequences for your game. Your spouse will accept your answer and ask again at a later date, so long as the required criteria are still met.
| Childhood Stage | How Long It Lasts | Behavior |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 14 Days | Interacting with the child in the crib will always result in “[child’s name] is sleeping” |
| 2 | 14 Days | The child is now alert and awake. Interacting with the child will result in the player tossing the child into the air, increasing their friendship level. The child will also sleep past 7PM and cannot be interacted with. |
| 3 | 28 Days | The child is now free to crawl and roam around the house and can interact with toys. They sometimes get stuck/trapped behind furniture. At 7PM, they return to their crib to sleep. |
| 4 | Forever | This is their final stage at “toddler” age. They walk freely around the house and the player can interact with them to increase relationship level. |
Benefits of Having Children
There are no benefits to having kids in Stardew Valley. However, they will accompany your spouse to Pelican Town events, like the Flower Dance or Town Fair. While only making a slight difference, this adds a nice element of diversity, especially if you’re a long-time player. You can even spice up your children’s day-to-day look by giving them a fancy hat!
Dismissing Children
If you change your mind and decide you no longer want children, your wish is a certain witch’s command. To do this, you must have completed either the Community Center or Joja Corporation route.
Finishing the “Dark Talisman” quest for the Wizard and unlocking the Witch’s Swamp by the Railroad are necessary. Once inside the Witch’s Hut, you can pay an offering of one Prismatic Shard to the Shrine of Selfishness to dismiss your child permanently, turning them into a dove.
WarningHaving children in Stardew Valley is a great way to build the perfect farm family life and spice up your gameplay. If you want to make a family with a special friend with online multiplayer, why not try Stardew Valley co-op!
