Cradle Story Help
Cradle Story lets you try the first six months with a newborn before they happen. This guide covers everything in the app. If something isn't answered here, email [email protected] and include your iPhone model and iOS version.
1. Getting started
- Choose One baby or Twins.
- Give your baby a name. Sex is optional; choose Not yet and the app uses the name instead of “he” or “she”.
- Your baby gets a random temperament, such as a light sleeper. Tough storylines (illness, hospital stays) are off by default; turn them on only if you want them.
- Tap Start. Your first care action takes less than three minutes to reach.
Have an invite code from your partner? Tap I have an invite code on the welcome screen instead. See Doing it as a couple.
2. Caring for your baby
Your baby shows cues: hands to mouth, rooting, yawning, rubbing eyes, arching, pulling knees up. Each cue points to a need such as hunger, tiredness, gas or wanting company. Pick a care action at the bottom of the screen.
- Right choice: your baby calms, and a short card explains why it worked.
- Wrong choice: the crying lasts longer and the action you tried is greyed out, so you can try something else.
- Hints: while hints are on, the likely action is highlighted with one line of explanation. Turn them off in Me when you want to read cues on your own.
- A session usually has 8–12 moments and takes about 10 minutes.
3. How your baby grows
- Your baby grows one week for each day you play. A day counts if you open the app or answer a Daily Moment. Days you don't play don't count, so you never “fall behind”.
- A new day starts at 4 a.m. Changing time zones or the clock won't make your baby grow twice in a day.
- Each week brings something new: gassy weeks, growth spurts, the 4-month sleep regression, first foods. At week 26 you finish Chapter 1 and get a graduation card.
- The first month is free. Without the unlock, your baby stays at week 4 and you can keep caring for them; after you unlock, growth continues from week 4.
4. Daily Moments
Two to four times a day, at real-world times, your baby “needs” you. A Live Activity appears on your Lock Screen and in the Dynamic Island, and you can answer right there without opening the app. If you don't answer in time, the moment passes; nothing bad happens to your save. Turn Daily Moments on or off in Me › Daily Moments.
5. Real Night
Real Night is an optional challenge: your iPhone wakes you 2–3 times overnight, the way a newborn would.
- Start Real Night from the app before bed and choose your night window.
- On iOS 26 or later, allow Alarms. Alarms ring even in Silent mode and Focus, and the sound is a baby crying, so it may wake others nearby.
- When it rings, tap Go pick her up (or him), then settle the baby in the app.
- In the morning you get a night report: wake-ups, time awake, longest stretch of sleep.
You can end Real Night at any time with one tap. On iOS versions before 26, or if Alarms are not allowed, the app uses time-sensitive notifications instead; these may not make a sound in Silent mode.
5b. Challenges
Challenges take parenting off the screen. They're all optional. Find them in Me › Challenges, or accept one when it pops up after you settle your baby (at most once a week; turn pop-ups off in Me).
- Hold challenge: carry something as heavy as your baby is this week (for example, a 10 lb bag of flour plus a water bottle) for 10–60 minutes. The timer keeps running on your Lock Screen.
- Focus through crying: 5 minutes of baby crying while you finish a task. Turn off Silent mode or wear headphones.
- One-handed life: hold the “baby” in one arm and get a few things done with the other.
When you finish, you get a card you can save or send, with a photo you choose. Pregnant, or have a sore back or wrists? Skip the weighted challenges or go lighter, and stop if anything hurts.
6. Widgets and Live Activities
- Home Screen: touch and hold an empty spot › Edit › Add Widget › search Cradle Story. The medium widget has two buttons you can tap without opening the app.
- Lock Screen: touch and hold the Lock Screen › Customize › Lock Screen › tap the widget area › Cradle Story, then pick the round or wide widget.
- Live Activities appear when your baby needs you and end once you've answered. If they don't appear, see Troubleshooting.
7. Doing it as a couple
Share a card
After a Real Night, at one month and at graduation, you can make a card about what actually happened and send it or save it as an image.
Invite your partner to raise the same baby
- Tap Share with your partner, keep Add a challenge on, add a nickname if you like, and send the link or the 6-character code.
- Your partner opens the link (or enters the code on the welcome screen) and starts the exact same baby on their own phone: same name, temperament, schedule and surprises.
- If you shared a Real Night card, your partner gets the same night to try: same wake-up times and same situations.
- When you both reach a comparison point (first month, the challenge night, end of the chapter), a side-by-side card appears the next time you open the app.
The comparison shows how each of you did things and what each of you is good at. There are no scores and no winners. Only your nickname, the baby's details and a few numbers are shared; your full care log stays on your phone.
8. Saves and invites
- You can have up to two saves: your own baby and one challenge. Joining a challenge never overwrites your own save.
- Switch saves in Me › Saves & invites. Only the current save sends reminders. You can't switch during a Real Night; end the night first.
- If both slots are used, delete one before joining a new challenge.
- Revoke an invite you sent at any time. Both saves stay, but the comparison card stops updating.
- Invites expire after 30 days if nobody joins. An accepted challenge lasts until the end-of-chapter card, up to 180 days.
9. Knowledge cards and calendar
Each card explains a cue or situation in plain words and lists its sources and the date it was gathered, from groups like the AAP, CDC and WHO. Cards you've seen are kept in your collection. The calendar shows checkups and vaccine days following the AAP 2026 schedule; U.S. federal recommendations are changing, so your pediatrician's schedule always comes first.
10. Unlock, restore and Family Sharing
- Unlock First Six Months is a one-time purchase, not a subscription. Buy it from the paywall at week 4 or any time from Me › Unlock first six months.
- Restore: on a new iPhone, open the paywall and tap Restore Purchases, signed in with the same Apple Account.
- Family Sharing: if you share purchases with family, your partner can unlock without paying again. Make sure Purchase Sharing is on in Settings › your name › Family Sharing.
- Ask to Buy: while waiting for approval, the baby stays at week 4.
- Refunds are handled by Apple at reportaproblem.apple.com. After a refund, your baby stays at the week they reached and your progress is kept.
11. Settings (Me)
| Setting | What it does |
|---|---|
| Hints | Highlights the likely action with a one-line tip |
| Daily Moments | Real-world moments on your Lock Screen, 2–4 times a day |
| Baby sounds | Volume of the baby's sounds; 0 turns them off. Sounds follow the Silent switch and stop when the app is in the background |
| Language | English or Simplified Chinese; follows your iPhone by default |
| Challenges | All challenges, and whether they pop up after you care for your baby |
| Content & privacy | Where the cards come from, and the anonymous analytics switch |
| Widgets & Live Activities | Shows the setup guide again |
| Saves & invites | Switch saves, see and revoke invites |
12. Troubleshooting
The Real Night alarm didn't ring
Check Settings › Cradle Story › Alarms & Timers is on (iOS 26 or later). On earlier iOS versions the app uses notifications, which may be silent in Silent mode or Focus. Keep the phone charged and the app installed; alarms aren't affected by the app being closed.
Live Activities don't show up
Check Settings › Cradle Story › Live Activities is on and Daily Moments is on in Me. Live Activities need an internet connection to start while the app is closed, and iOS decides exactly when they arrive, so they may be a little late.
My baby didn't grow today
Your baby grows once per day you play, and a day starts at 4 a.m. If you haven't unlocked, growth pauses at week 4. Changing the clock or time zone doesn't add extra weeks.
My invite code doesn't work
The message tells you why: the code may be mistyped (codes never use 0, O, 1 or I), expired after 30 days, revoked, already used by someone else, or you may be offline. If you already have two saves, delete one first. If your app versions differ, you can still join and share stories, but not compare the same moments; updating both apps usually fixes this.
The comparison card hasn't appeared
It appears after you both reach the same point. Your partner's results arrive the next time you open the app, not instantly.
I bought the unlock but it's still locked
Open the paywall and tap Restore Purchases. Make sure you're signed in with the same Apple Account, and wait for Ask to Buy approval if it applies.
How do I start over?
Delete the save in Me › Saves & invites and start a new baby. Your purchase stays unlocked.
How do I delete my data?
Revoke any invites, then delete the app. See the Privacy Policy for details, or email us with your invite code.
Contact
Email [email protected]. We usually reply within 2 business days.
Cradle Story 使用手册
Cradle Story（育儿模拟器）让你在宝宝到来之前，先体验一次和新生儿相处的前六个月。本手册介绍 App 的全部功能。这里没有回答到的问题，请发邮件到 [email protected]，并写上你的 iPhone 型号和 iOS 版本。
1. 开始
- 选择一个宝宝或双胞胎。
- 给宝宝起名字。性别可以不选，选先不选时，文案会用宝宝的名字代替“他/她”。
- 宝宝会随机得到一种性格，比如睡眠浅。较重的情节（生病、住院等）默认关闭，想体验时再打开。
- 点开始。3 分钟内就能做第一次照顾。
另一半给了你邀请码？在欢迎页点我有邀请码，见两个人一起。
2. 照顾宝宝
宝宝会发出信号：吃手、找奶、打哈欠、揉眼睛、身体后仰、把腿往肚子上缩。每个信号都指向一种需要，比如饿、困、胀气或想要陪伴。在屏幕下方选择一个照顾操作。
- 选对了：宝宝安静下来，一张小卡片解释为什么有效。
- 选错了：哭闹会持续更久，试过的操作会变灰，你可以换一种。
- 新手提示：开启时，推荐的操作会被高亮，并附一句说明。想自己判断时，在“我”里关闭。
- 一次游玩通常有 8–12 个时刻，大约 10 分钟。
3. 宝宝怎么长大
- 每玩一天，宝宝长大一周。当天打开过 App 或回应过一次日常时刻就算玩过。没玩的日子不算，不会“落下进度”。
- 每天以凌晨 4 点为界。改时区或改时间不会让宝宝一天长两次。
- 每周都有新变化：胀气期、猛长期、四个月睡眠倒退、第一次吃辅食。第 26 周完成第一章，获得结业卡。
- 第一个月免费。没解锁时宝宝停在第 4 周，照顾照常；解锁后从第 4 周接着长。
4. 日常时刻
每天 2–4 次，在现实时间里，宝宝会“需要你”。锁屏和灵动岛上会出现实时活动，不用打开 App 就能直接回应。没来得及回应，这个时刻就过去了，存档不会受影响。在我 › 日常时刻里开关。
5. 真实一夜
真实一夜是可选挑战：夜里 iPhone 会像真的新生儿一样叫醒你 2–3 次。
- 睡前在 App 里开始真实一夜，选择夜间时段。
- iOS 26 及以上请允许闹钟权限。闹钟在静音和专注模式下也会响，铃声是宝宝哭声，可能吵醒身边的人。
- 闹钟响时点去抱她（或他），然后在 App 里哄好宝宝。
- 早上会生成夜间报告：醒来几次、醒着多久、最长连睡多久。
随时可以一键结束真实一夜。iOS 26 以下，或没有允许闹钟权限时，App 改用时效性通知，静音时可能不响。
5b. 育儿挑战
育儿挑战把照顾宝宝搬到屏幕外，全部可选。在我 › 育儿挑战里开始，或者在哄好宝宝后弹出时接受（每周最多弹出一次，可在“我”里关闭）。
- 抱娃挑战：抱着和宝宝这周一样重的东西（比如一袋 5 kg 大米加一瓶水）走 10–60 分钟，锁屏后计时继续。
- 哭声里专注：宝宝哭声循环 5 分钟，你试着完成一件事。请关闭静音或戴耳机。
- 单手生活：一只手抱着“宝宝”，另一只手做几件小事。
完成后生成一张卡片，可以放一张你自己选的照片，存图或发给另一半。孕期、腰背或手腕不适时，请跳过有负重的挑战或减轻重量，感到疼就停。
6. 小组件和实时活动
- 主屏幕：长按空白处 › 编辑 › 添加小组件 › 搜索 Cradle Story（中文系统下显示为“育儿模拟器”）。中号小组件上的两个按钮可以直接点，不用打开 App。
- 锁屏：长按锁屏 › 自定 › 锁定屏幕 › 点时间下方的小组件区域 › 找到本 App，选圆形或长条小组件。
- 实时活动在宝宝需要你时出现，回应后自动结束。没有出现时见常见问题。
7. 两个人一起
分享成果卡
真实一夜之后、满月时、结业时，可以把真实发生的经过做成卡片，发给对方或存成图片。
邀请另一半养同一个宝宝
- 点分享给另一半，保持附上挑战开启，可以填一个昵称，然后发送链接或 6 位邀请码。
- 对方打开链接（或在欢迎页输入邀请码），就会在自己的手机上开始一模一样的宝宝：同样的名字、性格、作息和状况。
- 如果你分享的是真实一夜成果卡，对方会挑战同一晚：同样的醒来时间和情况。
- 你们都到达同一个对照节点（第一个月、挑战夜、第一章结束）后，下次打开 App 就能看到并排对照卡。
对照卡只呈现你们各自的做法和擅长的地方，没有分数，不分输赢。只会分享你的昵称、宝宝的信息和几项数字，完整的照顾记录留在你自己的手机里。
8. 存档与邀请
- 最多两个存档：一个自己开局，一个挑战。加入挑战不会覆盖你自己的存档。
- 在我 › 存档与邀请里切换。只有当前存档会发提醒；真实一夜进行中不能切换，请先结束。
- 两个位置都占用时，先删除一个再加入新挑战。
- 发出的邀请可以随时撤回，双方存档都保留，但对照卡停止更新。
- 没人加入的邀请 30 天后失效；已接受的挑战保留到结业对照，最长 180 天。
9. 知识卡和日历
每张卡用大白话解释一个信号或情况，并注明来源和整理日期，资料来自 AAP、CDC、WHO 等机构。看过的卡会收进图鉴。日历按美国儿科学会（AAP）2026 年程序显示体检和接种日；美国联邦建议仍在变动，一切以儿科医生的安排为准。
10. 解锁、恢复购买和家人共享
- 解锁前六个月是一次性购买，不是订阅。可以在第 4 周的付费页购买，也可以随时在我 › 解锁前六个月购买。
- 恢复购买：换新 iPhone 后，打开付费页点恢复购买，需要登录同一个 Apple 账户。
- 家人共享：如果你们在同一个家人共享组并开启了购买项目共享，另一半无需再付费即可解锁。在 设置 › 你的名字 › 家人共享 里确认已开启购买项目共享。
- 购买前询问：等待家长批准期间，宝宝停在第 4 周。
- 退款由 Apple 处理：reportaproblem.apple.com。退款后宝宝停在当时的周数，进度保留。
11. 设置（“我”页）
| 设置 | 作用 |
|---|---|
| 新手提示 | 高亮推荐操作并附一句说明 |
| 日常时刻 | 每天 2–4 次在锁屏上出现的现实时刻 |
| 宝宝声音 | 宝宝声音的音量，调到 0 即关闭；声音跟随静音键，切到后台即停止 |
| 语言 | 英文或简体中文，默认跟随系统 |
| 育儿挑战 | 全部挑战，以及照顾宝宝后是否弹出挑战 |
| 内容来源与隐私 | 知识卡的来源说明，以及匿名统计开关 |
| 小组件与灵动岛 | 重新查看添加引导 |
| 存档与邀请 | 切换存档，查看和撤回邀请 |
12. 常见问题
真实一夜的闹钟没响
在 设置 › 育儿模拟器 里确认闹钟与计时器已开启（iOS 26 及以上）。更早的系统使用通知，在静音或专注模式下可能不响。保持手机有电、不要删除 App；关掉 App 不影响闹钟。
实时活动没有出现
在 设置 › 育儿模拟器 里确认实时活动已开启，并在“我”里开着日常时刻。App 关闭时启动实时活动需要联网，具体到达时间由 iOS 决定，可能略有延迟。
今天宝宝没长大
宝宝每玩一天长一周，每天以凌晨 4 点为界。没解锁时会停在第 4 周。改时间或时区不会多长。
邀请码用不了
提示会告诉你原因：可能输错了（邀请码不含 0、O、1、I），超过 30 天已失效，已被撤回，已有人加入，或没有联网。如果已经有两个存档，请先删除一个。如果双方 App 版本不同，仍可加入并互相分享经历，但不能同题对照，双方都更新 App 通常就能解决。
对照卡还没出现
需要你们都到达同一个节点。对方的结果会在你下次打开 App 时拉取，不是实时的。
买了解锁但还是锁着
打开付费页点恢复购买，确认登录的是同一个 Apple 账户；如果用了“购买前询问”，请等待批准。
怎么重新开始？
在 我 › 存档与邀请 里删除存档，再开一个新宝宝。已购买的解锁仍然有效。
怎么删除我的数据？
先撤回所有邀请，然后删除 App。详见隐私政策，也可以附上邀请码发邮件给我们。
联系我们
邮箱 [email protected]，通常 2 个工作日内回复。