Baby Due Date Guessing Game: Rules, Scoring, Online Play

Short answer: ask each guest to guess the birth date, time, weight and hair of the baby, write the guesses down before the birth, and score them afterwards. Closest to the date wins the main prize, and small points for the other details break ties. Remember that only the due date is an estimate: babies arrive when they arrive, which is what makes the game fun. For guests who live elsewhere, you can collect guesses and play online by link or code, with no app and no account.

What people guess

Keep it to four or five questions so it takes a minute to fill in. Each one is easy to check afterwards.

1. 1Birth date. The main question. Guests pick a calendar day.
2. 2Time of birth. Morning, afternoon, evening or night is enough, or an exact time for a harder round.
3. 3Weight. In pounds and ounces or in kilograms, whichever your family uses. Say which on the card.
4. 4Hair. None, a little, or lots. A fun one for grandparents.
5. 5Optional extras. Length, or whether the baby arrives before or after the due date.

Printable-style rules you can copy

Paste these into a message or onto a card. Replace the words in square brackets with your own details.

1. 1Everyone gets one guess for each question. No changes after the cut-off.
2. 2Guesses close on [date] at [time]. Late guesses do not count.
3. 3The parents' due date is [date]. It is only an estimate, so guess freely.
4. 4[Name] keeps the sealed guesses and checks them after the birth. The parents do not look.
5. 5The birth date, time, weight and hair are confirmed by the parents. Their word is final.
6. 6If two guests tie, the next question breaks the tie, and after that the earlier guess wins.
7. 7The prize is [prize]. Bragging rights are included.

A simple scoring system

Pick one system before anyone guesses, and write it on the card. This one is easy to total by hand.

• Birth date: 10 points for the exact day, 7 for one day away, 4 for two days away, 1 for within a week.
• Time of birth: 5 points for the right part of the day (morning, afternoon, evening, night), 3 extra for within an hour.
• Weight: 5 points for the closest guess, 3 for second closest, 1 for third.
• Hair: 2 points for the right answer.
• Highest total wins. Ties go to the closest birth date.

Run it for a mixed in-person and online group

Most families have people in the room and people far away. The trick is giving everybody the same way to guess at the same time.

Before the birth

• Pick one place to collect guesses: a shared note, a form, or a family chat everyone can see.
• Set a cut-off date and say it in every time zone that matters.
• Let guests in the room fill in a paper card, and enter those yourself, so the answers all end up in one list.
• Choose a keeper of the answers who is not the parents.

After the birth

• Wait until the parents have shared the details they want to share. Privacy comes first.
• Read out the real answers, then score each guest live over a call or in the family chat.
• Announce the winner and send the prize or a photo of the winning card.

If the family is also waiting on the other big question, our online baby shower games and baby shower games guides have more ideas that work from a distance. Not sure which date to put on the card? The due date calculator gives an estimate, and our guide to when you can find out the baby's gender covers the other timing question.

Let guests join the online party by link or code

If you also plan a gender reveal, you can use the same guest list for the party. Diaper Reveal is a free online gender reveal party. The host shares a link or a 6-letter code, and guests open it on a phone, tablet or laptop. There is no app to install, no account to make, and it is free to join. The party is available in 24 languages, so grandparents can play in their own language.

1. 1Create a party and copy the link and the 6-letter code.
2. 2Send both in your family chat. Some guests tap a link and some prefer to type a code.
3. 3Guests join from anywhere. Ask them to open it a few minutes early.
4. 4Play the games together, then find out the result at the same moment.

The birth-detail guesses live in your own list, and the party is for the live moment. For more game ideas to run during the party, see gender reveal game ideas.

Tips for fair play

• Guess before the birth, not after. Lock the list on the cut-off date and keep a copy with a timestamp, such as a message in the chat.
• Do not ask the parents for clues. The game works because nobody knows.
• Mind the pressure. A due date is an estimate and nobody should feel the baby is late. Keep the tone light.
• Use their units. Pounds or kilograms, local date format. Write it on the card.
• Keep prizes small. A coffee voucher, a homemade treat, or the right to choose the first photo of the baby.
• Be kind about changes. If the parents prefer to keep some details private, drop that question and score the rest.

If you hold a Diaper Reveal party, the host is emailed a short memory film of it afterwards. It is free to download for 14 days, and $5 a year keeps it.