How to Adopt a Virtual Baby Online

Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only. It does not allow you to adopt a virtual baby.

Have you just heard that the stork is going to visit your home? Is the extreme happiness slowly giving way to an anxiety you never thought you would experience? Pre-baby jitters are normal for most first time parents. It is not an easy task to take care of a baby and nothing can ever ready you for childbirth. But there is one way you could probably ease your worries. All you have to do is adopt a virtual baby. The virtual baby will help you experience the joys (and headaches) that come with being a parent. Sure, tickle the baby when he is sad and sing to him if you are a firm believer in music being a growth and development stimulant, but be ready for getting up in the middle of the night to feed your kid and to change his nappies. Your virtual baby is going to be virtually real!

Have you heard of virtual pets? If yes, then you would have no problem identifying with the concept of virtual babies. Virtual babies are fake cyber world infants who can be adopted by you to test or practice your parenting skills. These virtual babies can be purchased online or be installed from CD ROM. Online games where you can play a parent like the games on Secondlife are a rage with gaming junkies. It is an Internet program that creates a virtual baby simulation. If you decide to adopt a virtual baby then you would have to take care of the virtual baby, which includes changing baby diapers, baby feeding and even buying baby products to ensure that your virtual offspring is comfortable. As a parent, you would be accountable for the baby from the stages of infancy.

Virtual baby games are perfect not just for expectant parents but also for baby-sitters who can test their skills with these animated infants. The online simulation could also be a good game for kids who are being taught values like responsibility, duty, and obligation. These games can also be used by health and education authorities to educate teenagers about pregnancy and the demands it can have on one's life.

How to Adopt a Virtual Baby?

Parenting should be certified as the toughest job in the world. It is a task that requires the patience of a saint. To adopt a virtual baby you may not require the same qualities, but the process of caring for a virtual infant can be trying as well. So how do you adopt virtual babies online? Here are a few pointers to keep in mind.

• Create an account on a website that allows you to adopt virtual babies. There are several sites like Eccky, Cyberinfants and Zodler where you can adopt simulated babies.
• Enter your personal details for the necessary account.
• Choose a baby. Select the gender of your virtual child.
• Name your baby. You can select unique baby names for your virtual baby.
• Take care of the infant and ensure that you log onto the site at regular intervals.
• The objective of the online game is to make sure that your baby is cared for. Your baby will need to be fed and changed periodically.

The process of adopting a virtual baby is fairly simple. After you are the proud parent of a virtual baby you can proudly introduce him/her to your friends and even compare your score with the parents of other virtual babies. You could even decorate your baby nursery and buy toys for your baby. Your success as a parent depends on the happiness of the baby. You can also measure the development of your child and decide the growth rate at which your child grows. Several websites also have contests to adjudge the cutest baby or the most well-behaved baby. There are also several virtual baby maker websites where you can upload photographs of your partner and yourself. The website then gives you a reproduction of what your baby may look like.

While the game teaches important lessons in parenting, do not forget that the baby is fake and that at the end of the day it is just a game. Enjoy the game for what it is and do not make it a parameter for judging yourself as a parent. On the flip-side you may discover that you make an excellent parent for a virtual baby but you must pay heed to the fact, that real life parenting is not a game of tamagotchi or sims. It is full of surprises that the virtual world cannot conjure up even in its dreams.

So go ahead and adopt a virtual baby. In the technology-obsessed world that we inhabit we may soon find virtual families becoming more of a reality than real families.