The Kids Have Jobs update gives all four rescued kids. Dino Kid, Kraken Kid, Squid Kid, and Koala Kid, each with passive jobs that automate your camp's most tedious resource loops. Rescue them in order as your campfire upgrades reveal their locations, keep them fed with high-quality food like stew, and return their lost trinkets for big EXP chunks. Level all four to 5 to unlock their full job tiers and claim three badges rewarding 5, 6, and 8 Diamonds each, plus a Tree Swing item.
The Kids Have Jobs update in 99 Nights in the Forest expands the Dino Kid leveling system to all four kids in the forest. Each kid handles a different job once leveled such as wood chopping, fishing, cooking, and scrap collection, which frees up enormous amounts of time you would otherwise spend doing those tasks manually. Getting all four to max level in a single run takes a lot of planning. So, to help you with that, here's a complete guide on the Kids Have Jobs update.
How Do You Rescue All Four Kids in 99 Nights in the Forest?
All four kids are hidden in caves across the map, and their cave locations are revealed progressively as you upgrade your campfire. Their exact spawn positions change between runs, so placing your map early and keeping it expanded is essential for tracking them down efficiently. The general rescue order in most of your runs should be:
- Dino Kid: Usually the first available, closest to camp
- Kraken Kid: Revealed after a few campfire upgrades
- Squid Kid: Mid-run rescue once the map opens further
- Koala Kid: The last rescue, typically needs the highest tier campfire
Rescue them as early as possible rather than saving all four for later in the run. Every night a kid spends back at camp while you keep them fed is progression toward their first job unlock.
Once a kid is back at camp, interact with them and confirm to start their friendship progression. From that point, two things level them up: food and trinkets.
RELATED: Check out our guide on the Dino Kid update to know everything about him!
What Jobs Does Each Kid Do in 99 Nights in the Forest?
Each kid automates one specific resource collection once leveled. Getting all four working simultaneously removes the four most time-consuming manual tasks from your routine. Here's what each of them do:
| Kid | Job | Delivery Location |
|---|---|---|
| Dino Kid | Chops wood | Delivers to his tent, the Campfire, or the Scrapper |
| Kraken Kid | Catches fish | Delivers to her tent |
| Squid Kid | Cooks food | Leaves it at his tent, or places it in the Crockpot if empty |
| Koala Kid | Scavenges for scrap | Delivers to her tent or directly to the Scrapper |
Once all four are operating, your camp passively generates wood, fish, cooked food, and scrap without you lifting a finger.
NOTE: Squid Kid's Crockpot placement unlocks at Level 5. If you want food going directly into the pot automatically, you need make him reach max level first.
How Do You Level Up Kids Fast in 99 Nights in the Forest?
There are two ways to gain kid EXP, which is by feeding and getting back their trinkets. Trinkets are by far the faster method, but feeding is the reliable way that carries your progress. Here's all the details on both of these ways:
By Feeding
Keep each kid's hunger bar from emptying and feed them whenever it drops. The quality of the food your feed them matters significantly. Here's what they mean:
| Food Type | EXP Reward |
|---|---|
| Basic cooked food | Low |
| Cooked fish | Moderate |
| Stew (Crockpot) | High |
| Cake | High |
Do not feed kids when their hunger bar is already full. You get no EXP and waste the food. Wait for hunger to drop before feeding. Once your Crockpot is built, switch to stew as your primary feeding source rather than burning through dozens of basic food items.
TIP: Each kid has a favorite food that gives bonus EXP or a mood boost. Some kid like Koala and Squid Kid like cake when they are craving it. So, save up certain food items for these cases.
By Returning Trinkets
Every kid has a set of lost items scattered across the map. If you return a trinket it gives a large one-time EXP reward that far exceeds what feeding provides per action. The trinket locations are random and are circled on your map once discovered, with the search radius narrowing as you upgrade your campfire.
Each kid's trinkets are color-coded on the map. Red for Dino Kid, blue for Squid Kid, and so on. Trinkets can sometimes be found inside structures like shacks or near significant landmarks rather than just lying in the open.
NOTE: If a teammate finds and picks up a trinket first, it might not register on your map properly. Only the player who physically picks up the trinket can hand it to the kid. Keep this in mind during multiplayer runs.
What Is the Best Strategy for Leveling All Four Kids?
The fastest way to level up the Kids in 99 Nights in the Forest is by combining the rescue order with feeding, and trinket hunting into a single loop rather than treating each as a separate activity. Here's how you can hasten this process:
- Rescue Dino Kid first and start feeding him immediately. Those early nights of passive feeding add up before you even have the Crockpot built
- Push campfire upgrades to reveal Kraken Kid's cave and rescue her as early as possible so she starts gaining progress alongside Dino Kid
- Continue map expansion to rescue Squid Kid and Koala Kid in this order. The more kids you have back at camp simultaneously, the more your passive feeding progress accumulates
- Every time you return to camp, feed anyone whose hunger is low before heading back out
- Use active exploration time to hunt trinkets rather than sitting at camp waiting for their hunger to drop
- Build the Crockpot as soon as feasibly possible and switch to stew for all feeding from that point forward
How To Get Every Kids Have Jobs Badge in 99 Nights in the Forest?
There are three badges tied to the Kids Have Jobs update, one for each of the non-Dino kids. All three require leveling the respective kid to Level 5. Completing all three also rewards a Tree Swing item you can place at your camp.
| Badge | Requirement | Reward |
|---|---|---|
| Kraken Daycare | Level up Kraken Kid to Level 5 | 5 Diamonds |
| Squid Daycare | Level up Squid Kid to Level 5 | 6 Diamonds |
| Koala Daycare | Level up Koala Kid to Level 5 | 8 Diamonds |
NOTE: You need to claim each badge from the badge board as you reach Level 5 as the game does not automatically give them to you, you have to actively claim them. Once all three are claimed, the Tree Swing becomes available as a placement item for your campsite.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
No, but trinkets are the fastest way to push through levels. You can reach Level 5 through feeding alone, it just takes significantly longer. The ideal approach is finding as many trinkets as possible to accelerate early levels, then relying on stew and higher-quality food.
Trinket searches can occasionally appear to stop narrowing if a teammate has already picked up the item or if the trinket is in a hard-to-reach spot like the volcano biome. If the circle suddenly shifts or shrinks in a new direction after campfire upgrades, the item might have just been in a spot that was not yet revealed on your map.
Yes, if you rescue them early enough. The resource collection from all four kids working simultaneously frees up so much active time that later nights become dramatically easier. The difficulty is that Koala Kid requires the highest campfire level to rescue and can be time-consuming to level in the same run as the others.
For more on 99 Nights in the Forest, check out Complete 99 Nights in the Forest Bee Biome Event Guide or All Cave Statue Blessings in 99 Nights in the Forest on Pro Game Guides!
