What a time to be alive and reproducing.
We’ve got 4-D ultrasounds, curvy handled pregnancy tests, and apps that tell you every known fact about every single day of gestation, seemingly down to the minute. And now, thanks to a dedicated and creative band of computer programmers, you can invite anyone you want to place bet on when baby will be born (which isn’t nearly as creepy as it sounds).
Through sites like BabyBety, BabyHunch, and BabyBookie, expecting parents can embrace their inner card shark, and set up a pool where their co-workers, family, and friends are able to make guesses about the baby’s due date, and other defining characteristics.
The concept of betting on baby’s arrival certainly isn’t new, as we’ve probably all participated in an office pool before, but bringing it to the Internet is a great way to involve a broad and diverse group of people who care about you and your little family, but maybe wouldn’t want to come to your baby shower. It is also a unique and easy way to share the exciting news and relevant stats once baby is born.
How Baby Betting Sites Work
Each site offers slight variations in items to bet on. Some get as specific as hair and eye color, while others keep it to the basics: date of birth, weight, length, sex, etc. They all keep track of the score, and calculate the winner for you in the end, which is a good thing since the LAST thing any new parent should be doing after giving birth is figuring out if Uncle Frank edged out Garth, the adorably awkward IT guy, by betting your nugget would be 19 ¾” with hazel eyes and a shock of auburn hair (swoon).
There is one big difference between these sites
Some are just for fun, and some are actually set up to help expecting parents financially, by allowing participants to wager money with each guess. While there are several sites available, here are a few of the most commonly used, as well as some key features:
BabyBety:
This is one of the sites that allows for monetary involvement. The ins and outs of how this works vary greatly depending on how each person sets up the pool, but it can be an awesome way to raise some extra moolah for a college fund, medical bills, or ya know, a life-size replica of an Elephant bird for your Madagascar-themed nursery. Or, if you have all the money you need, you can toss some of your winnings to the person who scored the highest. Whatever toots your horn, Sugar. While it is free to set up an account, the site does take a cut of the winnings, which is something to keep in mind.
BabyHunch:
BabyHunch somehow makes the idea of betting on a baby less dirty feeling but replacing the word “bet” with “hunch”… and it totally works. Users of this service can include several factors to place wagers on, including sex, date of birth, time of birth, weight, length, eye color, hair color and even the 1st letter of baby’s name. This service is also free, and doesn’t require a user register an account.
BabyBookie:
BabyBookie has a sleek look, and falls somewhere in the middle in terms of simplicity. Participants make guesses about date of birth, sex, weight and length, and are awarded points based on a seemingly complicated system that probably isn’t complicated for people who “do numbers” and “like math”. Fortunately, regardless of your mathlete status, the site, like the others, automatically calculates the winner for you.
What do you think about these baby betting sites?
Reading the words “baby” and “betting” in the same sentence is admittedly a little strange, but once you realize it is more “fun office game, taken to the next level” and less “human Kentucky Derby” it’s easy to see why so many people are jumping on the baby betting bandwagon.
What do you think? Ya feeling lucky?
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