Since the summer of 2026, the four missing children in 99 Nights in the Forest are no longer just rescue targets. The Dino Kid update in July let you befriend the first child and keep him alive night after night, and the Kids Have Jobs update in August extended the same system to Kraken Kid, Squid Kid and Koala Kid. Each child now has a job during the day: chopping wood, fishing, cooking or digging for scrap. This guide explains where each child is, how befriending works, what every kid's job is, what they need to stay happy, and which badges you can earn. All facts are taken from the wiki's Missing Children page, the Dino Kid Update page, the Update Log and the Badges page.
Where to find each child
The wiki says the children were kidnapped by The Deer. Rescuing one adds a day to the counter, and once the child is inside the campfire's light, they set up a tent. Each has a different tent color and a different cave, and the wiki ties the cave to your campfire level.
| Child | Campfire level to reveal | Guards | Tent color |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dino Kid | Level 2 (sometimes 3) | 5 wolves with red collars | Red |
| Kraken Kid | Level 4 (sometimes 5) | 4 alpha wolves with blue collars | Blue |
| Squid Kid | Level 5 (sometimes 6) | 2 bears with yellow collars | Yellow |
| Koala Kid | Level 6 | 6 bears with black collars | Purple |
Kraken Kid is opened with a blue key and Squid Kid is behind a yellow key cave. Koala Kid is in a gray key cave. The tent order never changes, so Kraken Kid keeps her blue tent even if you rescue her before Dino Kid.
How befriending works
After the Dino Kid update, once you have rescued a child, the game gives you clues about the first trinket you need to befriend them. You can use the child's lunchbox, and the wiki lists other items that work as the first gift. Dino Kid can be befriended with his lunchbox, yo-yo or crayon. Kraken Kid responds to her lunchbox, seashell or kraken plush, Squid Kid to his lunchbox, pocket watch or squid plush, and Koala Kid to her lunchbox, dream catcher or koala plush.
On Dino Kid's page, the wiki says you will see a "Befriend" option after you carry him back to the base. Choosing "Confirm!" locks the choice for the rest of the run. From then on you must care for him. The wiki's Missing Children page says you need to feed the children, make their beds and heal them, and that each child has a level system you can raise with a secondary, optional trinket.
What each child does during the day
The Update Log says that in the Kids Have Jobs update, all the missing children can do work for food. Before that update, only Dino Kid had a job. At night they all return to base and leave their loot where you set aside, although the wiki says the options are limited until you level them up.
| Child | Job | Special notes |
|---|---|---|
| Dino Kid | Chops nearby trees and brings logs back before night | His axe improves with his level. If no trees are nearby he stays by the fire |
| Kraken Kid | Goes to the nearest pool of water and fishes | She can only place her catch in her tent. Raw salmon is her favorite food |
| Squid Kid | Stays at the spawn spot and cooks raw food | Cooks until night arrives |
| Koala Kid | Wanders and digs up scrap | The Update Log says the scrap does not have to exist in your world, she digs it up from thin air |
Dino Kid's needs
The Dino Kid page lists a hunger bar and an EXP bar. If hunger runs out, he gets upset. He also has four needs, and ignoring any of them upsets him:
- 1Upgrading the campfire when he feels cold (only possible while the campfire is below level 6).
- 2A bandage when a wolf bites him.
- 3Cake, his favorite treat.
- 4Cleaning his bed, after which he sleeps for a short time.
Meeting a need gives a small amount of EXP. The wiki states that nights do not count toward the badges if he is upset.
Leveling with food and items
The wiki says the EXP a food gives equals the hunger it restores on a 200-point bar. These are the values it lists for Dino Kid:
| Item | EXP |
|---|---|
| Carrot, Strawberry, Bunny Foot (first time) | 10 |
| Cooked Morsel | 30 |
| Cooked Steak | 40 |
| Cake, Meat? Sandwich | 50 |
| Lunchbox | 70 |
| Stew | 100 |
| Yo-yo | 150 |
| Crayon | 350 |
| Plush | 750 |
| Dino Kid Polaroid | 9,999 |
An important rule is that when he levels up, any leftover EXP does not carry over. That is why the wiki recommends giving the Polaroid only at level 4, since it grants exactly one level. It also recommends Stew for fast leveling, and it says the search circle for a lost toy shrinks after each day if you cannot find it.
The Dino Kid badges
Six badges came with the update (called "temporary" on the wiki):
| Badge | What to do | Stars | Diamonds |
|---|---|---|---|
| Playtime | Give Dino Kid 10 different items he reacts to uniquely | 1.5 | 10 |
| Babysitting | Reach Dino Kid level 5 | 3 | 10 |
| Warding | Defend him from the harder cultist attack after finding all trinkets | 3 | 10 |
| Dino Kid Tape 1 | Protect him for 5 nights | 0.5 | 5 |
| Dino Kid Tape 2 | Protect him for 25 nights | 1.5 | 10 |
| Dino Kid Tape 3 | Protect him for 60 nights | 4 | 15 |
The nights are cumulative across runs, so ten nights in one run plus five in another counts as fifteen. The Warding challenge has three difficulty options, and the number of cultist waves equals the difficulty you choose, but any choice gives the badge.
The tapes and the furniture reward
The tapes are story cutscenes you unlock with the three Tape badges. The first explains that Dino Kid was lured by a cake before The Deer took him. The second leads to a photo hidden in his room, and the third reveals his favorite food is carrot cake. According to the wiki, tapes could be watched in the lobby during the event, but they are no longer visible afterwards.
The event page says the first three badges, Playtime, Babysitting and Warding, give the Dinosaur Egg furniture item. The Update Log says to complete all badges. We cannot tell which is correct from the wiki alone. The egg costs 4 Mossy Coins at the Furniture Trader or can come from a Supply Crate.
The Kids Have Jobs badges
| Badge | What to do | Stars | Diamonds |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kraken Daycare | Level up Kraken Kid to 5 | 1 | 5 |
| Squid Daycare | Level up Squid Kid to 5 | 1.5 | 8 |
| Koala Daycare | Level up Koala Kid to 5 | 3.5 | 10 |
Each child also has their own lunchbox, toy and plush hidden around the map, just like Dino Kid. They go into your inventory but do not stack, and Dino Kid is the only child with both a yo-yo and a crayon.
Practical tips from the wiki
The Dino Kid page includes a few tips on keeping him happy, and they are the most useful advice on the whole page. Feed him mostly Stew, since it gives 100 EXP in one serving, and keep four or five Bandages and Cakes in your bag so you can answer a need right away. Remember that nights only count when he is not upset, and that skipping caretaking with any child or bed also stops the night from counting. If you want the Playtime badge, the page names easy items to try: a cultist body, a Bunny Foot, a cooked food, a blueprint, a carrot, a long-range weapon, a chili, a vegetable such as corn or a pumpkin, and his Polaroid. Each gives a different reaction, for example he says "hot hot hot" and runs from side to side if you hand him a chili. These tips come from the wiki and we have not tried them ourselves.
What we could not confirm
The Dino Kid event page lists the dates 11/7/2026 to 25/7/2026 (day first), while the Update Log lists 2026.7.12, so the exact start day is unclear. The wiki does not give EXP tables for the other three children, and the Dino Kid page says the tapes are gone now, so treat Dino Kid's tape rewards as event-only unless the game says otherwise. We have not played this ourselves, so every number comes from the wiki.
