Including Relatives in the Countdown to Baby’s Arrival Without Adding More Messages
Disclosure: This article is part of a no-payment collaboration with GuessOurBaby. We received access to a separate demo pool and tested one fictional guest submission and its appearance on the leaderboard. GuessOurBaby has agreed to publish a feature linking to this article and share it on Instagram and TikTok.
A relative asks whether anything is happening. Someone else wants to know the due date again. Another person sends a cheerful guess about the baby’s arrival. The affection is welcome; answering every message may feel like another job.
If you want to include family in the anticipation, it helps to give them something optional to do and explain how real updates will be shared. A guessing game can be one small part of that plan. It does not need to become another event you are responsible for managing.
Decide what you want to share first
Before sending an invitation, agree with your partner or support person on which details you are comfortable sharing. You can keep medical appointments, symptoms and birth plans private while still inviting relatives to celebrate.
A due date is not a promise or a deadline for an announcement. Make clear that a quiet group chat means you are taking time for yourselves, not inviting people to request individual updates.
One person can handle the family message when you are ready. Choose someone who will respect your wording and timing rather than fill in gaps with guesses of their own.
Offer one optional place for the guesses
GuessOurBaby gives invited guests a shared pool where they can enter predictions and leave a message for the family. The guest form we tried included a name, predicted arrival date, a boy-or-girl guess, weight, an optional birth time, a message and a secret word.
The secret word is chosen by the host and shared alongside the invitation link. Include both in the same message so relatives do not need to contact you separately for access. Treat them as invitation details to share deliberately, rather than a reason to add private health information to the pool.
Not everyone enjoys guessing, and not every family wants to share the details a game asks for. Participation can simply be optional. A kind message or a quiet congratulations later is equally welcome.
What we checked in the demo
We used a separate pool called Baby Demo, with a fictional due date, and submitted an entry named Demo Reviewer. The form accepted the test without asking for an email address or requiring a guest account. A confirmation screen showed the submitted guesses, and the live leaderboard displayed the entry and its message.
This was a guest-flow check, not a test with an expectant family. We did not test purchasing a pool, host administration or the final scoring after a birth. The provider told us that submitting a guess does not send notifications or emails; that is their description, rather than a delivery audit we performed.
The confirmation screen also offered WhatsApp, iMessage and copy-link sharing options. We did not send invitations to anyone during the test.
Send one invitation that sets expectations
You could adapt this message:
We’re excited to share the countdown with you! If you’d like to join our baby guessing game, here’s the link: [your pool link]. The secret word is [your secret word]. It’s just for fun, and there’s no need to join. We’ll share baby news here when we’re ready, so please don’t worry if we’re quiet or slow to reply.
Replace the placeholders before sending. If a family member would rather avoid another website, let them skip it. You do not need to collect their predictions manually or run two versions of the game.
Keep the game separate from the birth announcement
Being included in a countdown does not mean being entitled to live updates. Decide in advance whether your designated person will send one announcement, and whether photos or details may be forwarded.
After the baby arrives, you can return to the game whenever it feels convenient. It should not compete with rest, care or getting to know your baby.
Choose the simplest option that works for you
A shared guessing pool may suit a family that already enjoys group games. Another family may prefer one message saying, “We’ll let you know when there’s news.” Both are reasonable.
The useful part is having a plan: one place for optional fun, one person responsible for updates, and permission to step away from the conversation.
