What Is a Baby Pool Game? How to Play Online

A baby pool game is a prediction game where friends and family guess details about a baby's arrival, such as the birth date, time, weight and gender, before the baby is born. Once the baby arrives, the real details are compared with everyone's guesses and the closest guess wins. Most people now play it online: one shared link, no paper cards.

You will also hear it called a baby prediction game, a baby guessing game, a baby due date game, or just "guess the baby". They all mean the same thing. This guide covers what people guess, how scoring works (with the real numbers we use), how to run one online, and question ideas you can copy.

What does "baby pool" mean?

In everyday use, a baby pool is a shared game where everybody's guesses are collected in one place and compared after the birth. The "pool" is the group of guesses and the people playing.

• Most baby pools are free. Families usually play for bragging rights or a small prize, such as a coffee gift card or a silly trophy.
• Some pools involve money. If you plan to collect entry fees or pay out cash, check the rules where you live first, because gambling and lottery rules differ by state, province and country. Playing for free avoids the question.
• It is not only for baby showers. A baby pool works as a shower game, a family group chat game, or a long-distance way for relatives to join in.

If you want the plain-English explainer of what a baby pool means and why people use them, start with what a baby pool is. For the family version, see our guide to the family baby guessing game.

What do people guess in a baby pool game?

Three to five questions is plenty. The classics are:

• Birth date, the one everybody has an opinion on
• Birth time
• Gender
• Birth weight (in pounds and ounces in the US, or kilograms in many other countries)
• Baby's name

Extras that add personality:

• Length (inches or centimeters)
• Eye color and hair color
• First letter of the name
• Birth month
• Number of babies (one, twins or more)
• Your own multiple-choice question, such as "Who will the baby look like most?"

Ideas beyond the basics are in our list of baby prediction game ideas.

How does a baby pool game work?

Every baby pool follows the same loop:

• The host sets it up. Pick the due date and the questions, add a title and a photo.
• The host shares one link. Put it in the family group chat, a text or the shower invite.
• Guests add their guesses. On GuessOurBaby, guests open the link on a phone or computer. There is no app to download and no guest account to create.
• The baby arrives. The host adds the real birth details.
• The scores appear. A leaderboard ranks everyone and shows the winner.

The setup steps in more detail, including when to share your link and how to write the perfect invite message, are in our step-by-step guide on how to create a baby pool online.

How scoring works in a baby pool game

Scoring is where most pools get messy, so it helps to decide it up front. There are three common methods:

• Closest wins, question by question. Easy to explain, but it crowns several winners instead of one.
• Fixed points for exact answers. Good for gender and name, but harsh on dates and weights, where a near miss deserves credit.
• Points scaled by how close the guess was. The fairest for dates, times, weights and lengths, and the hardest to do by hand.

The scaled method matters more than people expect. UK data from the Perinatal Institute, reported by the BBC, found that only about 4% of babies are born on their predicted due date. For straightforward, low-risk pregnancies, around 60% arrive within a week either side of it, and more than 90% within two weeks. If you only reward an exact date match, most pools would have no exact winner at all.

The scoring GuessOurBaby uses

GuessOurBaby uses the scaled method. Each question has a maximum score, and the questions you switch on are the ones that count:

• Birth date: up to 40 points. Points fade evenly to zero at 21 days away. One day out scores 38, a week out scores 27.
• Birth time: up to 15 points. Fades to zero at 12 hours away. One hour out scores 14.
• Weight: up to 14 points. Fades to zero at about 3 lb (1.36 kg) away. A guess 8 oz off scores 12, and one 1 lb off scores 9.
• Baby's name: up to 12 points. Exact match only, ignoring capital letters and punctuation.
• Gender: up to 10 points. Exact match.
• Length: up to 8 points. Fades to zero at 12 cm (about 4.7 inches) away.
• Eye color and hair color: 6 points each. Exact match.
• Number of babies: 5 points. Exact match.
• First letter, birth month and multiple-choice custom questions: 4 points each. Exact match.

Free-text questions, such as a message for the baby, are for fun and are not scored.

If two guesses finish on the same score, the order is: the guess closest to the actual birth date and time, then the guess with more exact answers, then whoever entered first. A shared win only happens if every one of those checks is level.

How to run a baby pool game online

• Choose the questions. Aim for 3 to 5 for a shower, or up to 7 for a family group that likes detail. Fewer questions means more people finish.
• Write down the rules. Say when guesses close and which units to use for weight. A sensible cut-off is before 37 weeks, because the NHS says pregnancy normally lasts from 37 to 42 weeks. That cut-off is our suggestion, not an official rule.
• Share one link. A short, casual message works best, for example "We made a baby pool, add your guess here."
• Send one reminder. Busy relatives forget, so one nudge a week or two before the due date helps.
• Reveal after the birth. Add the real details and share the leaderboard so everyone sees who came closest.

You can try the setup yourself: create your baby pool. One-time payment with no subscription, and the code LAUNCH70 takes 70% off for the first 50 pools while it is available.

Baby pool question ideas

Pick a mix from these groups and keep the list short.

• The safe set: due date, gender, weight, name.
• The shower set: due date, gender, weight, plus one-word advice for the parents.
• The playful set: due date, birth time, first letter of the name, who the baby will look like, and a message for the baby.
• The competitive set: date, time, weight and length, all scored by closeness, for families who enjoy the numbers.

Using it at a party? Our guide to baby shower games that aren't boring shows where a baby pool fits next to other games.

Online baby pool vs paper cards

• Online: anyone can join from anywhere, the guesses stay in one place, scoring is automatic, and the page doubles as a keepsake.
• Paper: it feels nice at the shower, but cards get lost, handwriting is hard to read, and someone has to do the math afterwards.

Baby pool game FAQ

What is a baby pool game?

A baby pool game is a prediction game where people guess details about a baby, such as the birth date, time, weight and gender, before the birth. After the baby arrives, the real details are compared with the guesses and the closest guess wins.

What does baby pool mean?

A baby pool is a shared game where everyone's baby guesses go in one place and are compared after the birth. It is also called a baby prediction game or a baby guessing game. Most pools are played for fun, not money.

How do you play a baby pool game online?

The host picks the questions, shares one link, and guests add their guesses from a phone or computer. When the baby is born, the host enters the real details and the leaderboard shows who came closest.

What do you guess in a baby pool?

The usual guesses are birth date, birth time, gender, weight and name. Fun extras include length, eye color, hair color, the first letter of the name and the number of babies.

How is a baby pool scored?

The fairest way is to score by closeness, because only about 4% of babies are born on their due date. On GuessOurBaby, the birth date is worth up to 40 points, time 15, weight 14, name 12 and gender 10, with smaller scores for the other questions. Ties are settled by closeness to the birth, then exact answers, then earliest entry.

Is a baby pool game free to play?

Guests can join without paying, and most families play for free. The host pays once to publish a GuessOurBaby pool, with no subscription. If you collect money for a prize, check local rules first.

Final Answer

A baby pool game is a baby prediction game: people guess the birth date, time, weight, gender and more, then see who came closest after the baby arrives. Score by closeness rather than exact matches, keep the questions short, and share one link so everyone can join online. When you are ready, you can start your baby pool here.