The Kids Have Jobs update in 99 Nights in the Forest gives Dino, Kraken, Squid and Koala Kid passive camp jobs. How to rescue, feed and level all four to Level 5 for the Daycare badges and Tree Swing.
Última atualização: 14 de agosto de 2026Kids Have Jobs Update — All 4 Kids’ Jobs, Daycare Badges & Tree Swing
The Kids Have Jobs update turns every rescued child in Dino Kid into a passive worker. Keep them fed, return their trinkets, and all four kids automate wood, fish, cooked food and scrap around your camp — then claim three Daycare badges and a Tree Swing.
What Kids Have Jobs adds
Before this update only Dino Kid pitched in. Now Kraken, Squid and Koala Kid each get a care-and-work loop once you rescue them, keep their hunger bar filled and recover their lost trinkets. Level a kid and it automates one of the most time-consuming manual tasks in a run — with all four working, your camp passively produces wood, fish, cooked food and scrap without you lifting a finger.
The four kids’ jobs
Each kid collects one resource and drops it at a fixed spot once leveled. Squid Kid’s Crockpot delivery only unlocks at Level 5.
| Kid | Job | Delivers to |
|---|---|---|
| Dino Kid | Chops wood | His tent, the Campfire, or the Scrapper |
| Kraken Kid | Catches fish | Her tent |
| Squid Kid | Cooks food | His tent, or the Crockpot if it is empty (unlocks at Level 5) |
| Koala Kid | Scavenges scrap | Her tent or the Scrapper (generates her own scrap) |
How to level up the kids
Two things level a kid: feeding (the steady drip) and returning trinkets (the big one-time boost). Combine both to climb to Level 5 fast. Food quality changes the EXP you earn per feed (community-observed tiers):
| Food | EXP reward |
|---|---|
| Basic cooked food | Low |
| Cooked fish | Moderate |
| Stew (Crockpot) | High |
| Cake | High |
Trinkets: the fastest EXP
Every kid has a Lunchbox, Yo-Yo, Crayon and Plush lost somewhere on the map. Returning one hands over a large one-time EXP chunk that dwarfs any single feeding. Trinket spots are color-coded on your map (red marks Dino Kid’s items, blue marks Squid Kid’s) and the search circle tightens as you upgrade your campfire. They can hide inside shacks and near landmarks, not just out in the open.
Multiplayer warning: only the player who physically picks up a trinket can hand it over, so if a teammate grabs it first your marker may look stuck — coordinate who collects.
Rescue order & campfire tiers
Cave locations only appear as you upgrade your campfire, and spawn spots shift between runs. Place and expand your map early. Rescue in this order so the jobs come online progressively:
| Order | Kid | When it opens |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dino Kid | Usually first, closest to camp (Campfire Level 3) |
| 2 | Kraken Kid | After a few campfire upgrades (Level 4) |
| 3 | Squid Kid | Mid-run, once the map opens further (Level 5) |
| 4 | Koala Kid | Last, needs the highest campfire tier (Level 6) |
Daycare badges & the Tree Swing
Three official Daycare badges track raising Kraken, Squid and Koala Kid to Level 5. Each must be claimed from the badge board when you hit the level — the game will not hand it over automatically. Earn all three and the Tree Swing unlocks as a camp placement item.
| Badge | Reward | How |
|---|---|---|
| Kraken Daycare | 5 Diamonds | Raise Kraken Kid to Level 5 |
| Squid Daycare | 6 Diamonds | Raise Squid Kid to Level 5 |
| Koala Daycare | 8 Diamonds | Raise Koala Kid to Level 5 |
Tips the guides agree on
- ▸Rescue each kid as early as possible — every night a kid spends fed at camp counts toward its first job unlock.
- ▸Feed only when the hunger bar drops. A full kid gives no EXP and wastes the food.
- ▸Once your Crockpot is built, switch to Stew as the main feed — it is the highest steady EXP source.
- ▸Return trinkets for a big one-time EXP chunk — far more than a single feeding. They are the fastest leveling route.
- ▸Squid Kid only auto-feeds the Crockpot at Level 5 — max him before expecting cooked food in the pot.
- ▸Claim the Daycare badges from the badge board manually when you hit Level 5; the Tree Swing unlocks once all three are claimed.
Kids Have Jobs details compiled from the official 99 Nights in the Forest updates feed and gaming-media guides (AllThings.How, ProGameGuides). EXP tiers and badge rewards can shift with balance patches.