< Back to front page Text size – +

Meet the new Gerber baby

Print | Comments () Posted by Kristi Palma November 7, 2012 08:58 AM

Tweet
E-mail

Meet the new Gerber baby: A Hispanic baby named Mary Jane Montoya from California.

The eight-month-old baby beat out 300,000 other babies on Facebook to become the new face of the brand in 2013. She will be featured in a nationwide Gerber ad.

Judges chose the baby based on "visual appeal, expressiveness, and consistency with Gerber's heritage." Montoya also represents the food brand's mission to be more reflective of what America looks like, according to the Buzz 60 video above.

Her parents, Billy and Sara Montoya, say they entered her at the last minute. The proud parents won $50,000 for her college fund.

So what was the secret to snapping the contest-winning photo?

"It took a little while to get that picture, too, because she would not stop looking at the grass and looking at the birds ... of course we think our baby is adorable and beautiful, but every parent sees that in their child," Sara Montoya told the Today Show.

For those wondering, Mary Jane will not replace the original Gerber baby from 1928, Ann Taylor Cook, who is now 85. The two Gerber babies met each other on the set of the Today Show.

What do you think of Gerber's choice?

Tweet
E-mail

About Parent Buzz

Welcome to Parent Buzz, where you can read about and discuss the hot parenting issues of the day, find family-friendly events in Boston and beyond, and get parenting tidbits and tips.

Browse this blog

by category

Contributors

Kristi Palma, Boston.com Moms producer, is the mom of a kindergartner and a preschooler. She is a writer who enjoys cooking her grandmother's Italian recipes (when her son isn't launching paper airplanes into them). Follow her on Twitter @kristipalma.

Jennifer Clark Estes is a teacher, writer, blogger, and the mother of four young children. In her free time, she blogs at A Mom's World, plays with the kids (or chauffeurs them around), and is desperately seeking a quiet spot so she can read a book. Follow her on Twitter @JenniferCEstes.