Baby pool online: a free due date game for friends and family

How a baby pool works

A baby pool is the little game that keeps family and friends busy during the last weeks of a pregnancy. Everyone tries to guess when the baby will arrive, how much they will weigh, whether it’s a girl or a boy, and a few other details. Once the baby is here, you compare the guesses, have a laugh, and whoever was furthest off does a kind little forfeit.

With MyMiniBet, the whole due date pool runs online, for free, with no sign-up and no money involved. You write the question, drop the link in the family WhatsApp group, and everyone makes their guess from their own phone. No sheet of paper going round, no math to do by hand: the site works out the closest guess for you. It also makes a great baby shower game, since guests can join on the spot by scanning a QR code.

What to guess: the questions that work best

Each question is its own bet. Pick three or four: any more and people start to lose interest. Here are the favorites, with the answer type to choose.

• Birth date: a Date bet, closest date wins. It’s the classic, and the most exciting one, because few babies arrive exactly on their due date. The due date template is ready to go.
• Weight: a Number bet. Pick one unit for everyone. In kilograms, people write 3.2 or 3.45. In pounds, ask for decimals (7.5 rather than 7 lb 8 oz), since the answer is a single number. Closest wins. Start from the birth weight template.
• Girl or boy: a Choice bet with two answers. The girl or boy template does it for you. Only include it if the parents are happy with it (more on that below).
• Length: a Number bet in inches or centimeters, closest wins. You can also make it a Choice with three or four ranges you set yourself.
• First initial: a Choice bet. Since you can offer 2 to 6 answers, group the letters: “A–D”, “E–H”, “I–L”, “M–P”, “Q–T”, “U–Z”.
• Time of day: a Choice bet with “morning”, “afternoon”, “evening” and “night”.
• Hair: a Choice bet, for example “bald as an egg”, “a little fuzz”, “a full head of hair”.
• Who baby looks like: a Choice bet with “Mom”, “Dad”, “a bit of both”, “Grandpa Bill”. On results day, the parents get the final word, and that’s how it should be.

If the parents have a shortlist of names and are happy to share it, you can even run a Choice bet between their 2 to 6 favorites. Never do it without their blessing. For more unusual questions, browse our fun bet ideas for friends.

Set up your baby pool in a few seconds

1. Go to Create a bet, or start straight from one of the baby templates.
2. Write the question (140 characters max), for example: “When will Emma and Josh’s baby arrive?”
3. Pick the answer type: Date, Number (with kg, lb or in as the unit), Choice or Yes / No.
4. Pick the stake: a forfeit from the suggested ideas, one you write yourself (100 characters max), or no forfeit at all, just for bragging rights.
5. Set the end of predictions: a date and a time.
6. Keep your secret organizer link safe. The easiest way is to send it to yourself on WhatsApp: it’s what lets you close predictions and enter the result. You can also play yourself.

For the next question, use the option to launch another bet with the same group, right from the first bet. Your bets then form a friends’ league with a leaderboard: 1 point for each bet won. The overall baby pool champion is whoever ends up on top. One tip: ask everyone to use the same name in every bet, because points are counted by name.

Share the link with family and friends

The site has buttons for WhatsApp, Snapchat, text message, copy link, QR code and your phone’s own share menu. The link shows a preview with the question, which makes people want to tap it.

A message you can copy into the group:

Emma and Josh’s baby is coming soon! Little baby pool to help us wait: due date, weight, girl or boy. Open the link, type your name and make your guess before Sunday 8 pm. Whoever is furthest off brings dinner to the new parents.

Everyone opens the link, types their first name (or a nickname) and makes their guess. One guess per phone, and it can be changed until predictions close. Before that, you can see who has already played, but not their answers, so nobody can copy Aunt Linda. If Grandma and Grandpa share one phone, they agree on a guess together, or one of them plays from another phone.

At a baby shower, it’s even easier: show the QR code on your phone and let guests scan it between two slices of cake. To turn it into a proper party moment, our guide to party bets has more ideas. And if you’re running it at work for a colleague going on parental leave, our guide to office pools explains how to handle it with coworkers.

When to close predictions

Predictions must close before the birth, of course. Pick a comfortable date: the evening of the baby shower, or a few weeks before the due date. The add-to-calendar button lets everyone save the deadline so they don’t forget.

Baby decides to come early? No problem: with your organizer link, you can close predictions ahead of time as soon as you hear the parents are on their way to the hospital. Once predictions are closed, nobody can play anymore and all the guesses become visible. It’s often a sweet moment in the group: you find out Grandpa went for 9.2 lb and the godmother was absolutely sure it would be a girl.

Announce the result kindly

One golden rule: the parents announce the birth first. Wait until they’ve shared the news themselves, with whatever details they choose to give, before entering anything on the site. And don’t chase the new parents for the exact weight: the first days are intense, and the results can wait.

Once you have the details:

1. Open your organizer link and enter the real result: date, weight, girl or boy.
2. The site picks the winners: the closest guess for a Date or Number bet, the right answer for a Choice bet.
3. The forfeit goes to the furthest guess (Date, Number) or to everyone who got it wrong (Choice).
4. Confetti, then a results card in story format, ready to share.

Before posting that card to your Instagram or Snapchat story or your WhatsApp status, ask the parents if they’re okay with it: it may show the birth date or weight, and not everyone wants those details out there. When in doubt, share it only in the private group. A reminder button then prepares a ready-made message for the person who lost.

Sweet forfeits for the losers

A baby pool is played with no money and no prizes: the stake is a forfeit, or simply bragging rights. Our guide to betting without money explains why it’s more fun that way. Here are a few forfeits that suit the occasion, all short enough to fit in 100 characters:

• The furthest guess brings a home-cooked dinner to the new parents.
• The loser does the parents’ grocery run during the first week.
• The loser offers a babysitting night, whenever the parents feel ready.
• The loser records a lullaby as a voice note for the baby.
• The loser writes a letter to the baby, to be opened on their 18th birthday.
• The loser bakes a cake for the first visit.

With the girl or boy bet, there are often several losers at once. Choose a forfeit that works as a team, like “the losers cook a meal together for the parents”. You’ll find plenty more in our funny and harmless forfeit ideas.

Respect the parents’ wishes

A baby pool should be a gift for the parents-to-be, not a source of stress. Before you launch anything, ask what they think:

• They want the sex to be a surprise? The girl or boy bet is still fun, but don’t fish for clues.
• They know the sex and are keeping it secret? Suggest they sit that question out, or drop it.
• They don’t want to talk about names? Skip the first initial question.
• They prefer to keep things low-key? Keep the link within your close circle, and never post it on a public social network or forum.

MyMiniBet bets are private: they can only be reached with the secret link, they never show up on Google, and they’re deleted automatically one year after predictions close. Anyone can play under a nickname, too. The parents-to-be can join in as well, and even start a little challenge between the two of them while they wait: our guide to bets for couples has a few ideas.

In short

Three or four questions, one link in the group chat, predictions closed before the due date, and results announced after the parents have shared the news: that’s all you need for a great baby pool. Ready? Create your first bet from the due date template, then launch the others with the same group. Got a question about how the site works? The FAQ covers the basics.