There’s a new kid on this baby brand’s block. Gerber crowned Baby Akil “Sonny” McLeod from Arizona — who has “a bright smile, joyful personality and sunny disposition” — as the winner of its 2024 Gerber Baby Photo Search. “Sonny immediately captured our hearts with his joyful smile and his family’s heartwarming demonstration of what it means to grow with love,” Chandra Kumar, president of Nestlé Nutrition, which owns Gerber, said in a statement.
The iconic 97-year-old baby food company, which will post Sonny on its social media channels and marketing campaigns for one year, called him “our newest Gerber Baby & Chief Growing Officer.” Sonny has roots in the Big Apple, as his parents, Dominique, a stay-at-home mom, and Akil Sr., an entrepreneur, both grew up in New York, according to Gerber’s website.
The toddler, who turned 1 on June 20 and has a big sister named Sage, “loves his squishy ABC Book, toy cars and playing with his toy pots and pans while his mom cooks dinner.”
“We couldn’t have asked for a better way to celebrate his first birthday than to be chosen as the 2024 Gerber Baby,” Dominique said in a statement. “We look forward to all the adventures in the year ahead collaborating with Gerber to share his sweet smile with families across the country.”
Although Akil was named after his dad, he got his nickname ‘Sonny’ while Dominique was pregnant and noticed a “bright beam of sunshine streaming through the window directly onto her belly.” “She immediately thought, ‘That’s my little sunny boy!’” Gerber reported.
This is the Gerber Baby Photo Search competition’s 14th year, and each year “tens of thousands of photos” are submitted by “parents who see their little one in Gerber’s iconic baby logo.” As its winner, Sonny and his family won a $25,000 cash grand prize, a year of free Gerber products and a $500 wardrobe from its clothing line.
The little one will also be awarded items from companies such as Brooklinen, Canon, UPPABaby, Little Tikes, Motherhood Maternity and ezpz. Gerber also donates another $25,000 to March of Dimes’ maternal and infant health programs.
