Questions and answers
What is Mustard Seed Life?
A guessing game for a baby's arrival. You start a page, family and friends guess the day and time the baby will arrive, and when the baby is here everyone finds out who came closest.
Do guests need an account to guess?
No. A guess takes a minute: a name, an email and a day. An account is only offered afterwards, to find the page again.
Who can see my page?
You choose. An open page can be seen by anyone with the link. A private page can only be opened by people you invite or who use your join link. Guesses are never shown with email addresses.
Can I use it if the baby is already here?
Yes. Add the baby as born and you get a giving page straight away, where family and friends can send a gift if they want to.
What happens when the baby arrives?
You press Baby arrived and enter the birth details. You see exactly what will be sent first. Then everyone who guessed gets an email with who came closest and where their own guess placed, and the full ranking is kept for you on the child's History tab.
What happens to the page after the baby is born?
It becomes a giving page, and the same link keeps working. Family and friends can use it for birthdays, holidays and any other occasion when they want to send a gift. It stays optional, and you can share it whenever you like.
How long can guests see the guesses after the birth?
For about two weeks after you announce the arrival. After that the guess page sends visitors to the giving page. You always keep the full record.
Are gifts required?
Never. Guessing is free and needs nothing else. If a guest would like to send a gift, they can. It is always optional.
How do gifts and fees work?
Gifts are paid through Stripe to the account the page's owner connected. Card fees (2.9% + $0.30) and our 1.5% platform fee come out of a gift unless the giver chooses to cover them. What the family does with the money is up to them.
What could a gift become?
A gift that is set aside and left to grow can become much more over time. At 4%, 7% and 10% a year, $50 could be about $101, $169 or $278 after 18 years. These are examples to show how time helps, not promises, and investments can lose value. What a family does with a gift is up to them.
Is it free?
Starting a page and guessing are free. The only cost is the fees on a gift, if someone sends one.
Do I need to report gifts on my taxes?
Gifts you receive may be reportable or taxable depending on the amount and where you live. Stripe may send tax forms when the law requires it. Ask a tax adviser if you are unsure.