How it goes
Pick a day, pick a time
A calendar of the days around the due date, split into the slots you choose — every 15 minutes, or morning and afternoon, or just the day. One person per slot, so nobody doubles up and there is nothing to argue about later.
Share one link
Grandparents, the group chat, the people at work. They open it on their phone and pick — no account needed, no app, and it handles everyone being in different timezones because the whole board runs on the baby’s.
The baby arrives, the board settles itself
Put in the actual date and time and it works out who was closest to the minute. Add weight, length and head circumference as extra questions if you want more than one winner.
Free to run. Yours to keep.
Charge nothing and play for bragging rights, or charge a few dollars a guess and split the pot with the new parents.
Better than the group text
| Group chat | ChooseASquare | |
|---|---|---|
| Seeing who took what | Scroll back through messages | ✓ A board everyone can see |
| Two people picking the same time | Happens constantly | ✓ One person per slot |
| People in other timezones | Everyone guesses wrong | ✓ One timezone, set by you |
| Working out the winner | Someone does maths at 3am | ✓ Worked out to the minute |
| Collecting the money | Chasing people individually | ✓ Tracked, and it stays yours |
Nobody has to explain the rules.
Baby Arrival, answered
Is it free?
Yes. Baby Arrival is free on every plan, including the free one. You can charge an entry fee if you want to — that money goes to you, not to us — but nothing about running the pool costs anything.
Do people need an account?
No. Anyone with the link picks a time, types their name and email, and they are in. The email is only so we can tell them if they win.
What if the baby comes outside the guessing window?
Nothing breaks. Babies do not respect the window. Everyone is still ranked by how far off they were.
What if two people are exactly the same distance away?
You choose in advance — split the prize, or use a bonus guess like the weight as the tiebreaker.
Can family in other states play?
Yes, and this is the bit most baby pools get wrong. You pick one timezone when you set it up and every guess is read in that clock, wherever the person guessing happens to be.
Can we guess the weight and length too?
Yes. Turn on as many bonus guesses as you like, each with its own winner. Boy-or-girl is there too, if the family has kept it a surprise.
Can part of the money go to the parents?
Yes, and it is the nicest way to run it. Set a split — 50/50 is typical — and everyone sees it on the join screen before they pay. It turns the pool into a shower gift with a game attached.
We’re having twins — does that work?
Yes. Say how many are coming and the questions rearrange themselves: everyone still guesses ONE arrival time (the first baby’s), and weight, length and boy-or-girl are asked for each of them. You also get two questions only a multiple birth can ask — who arrives first, and how many minutes between them. Triplets add “who arrives last”.
Does everyone get emailed?
Four times, all tied to something real: a confirmation when they guess, one reminder before the deadline if you set one, “it’s happening” the moment you close guessing, and the result with who won. The winner gets a different email telling them they were closest.
Can people change their guess?
Only if you let them — guesses are final by default, because a time is a claim on a slot and letting people vacate and re-take the good ones rewards whoever refreshes most. You can always move or remove a guess yourself.
Can I use this for something that is not a baby?
Yes. Baby Arrival is one template of our Closest Guess contest — the same engine runs “when will it first snow”, “what time will the game end”, or “when do we hit our fundraising goal”. Start from scratch and ask your own question.
Start the pool before the baby does.
Takes about two minutes. Free, and you can add the money side later.
Start a baby pool →