The new Gerber Baby was revealed on TODAY, and winner Madison Mendoza is a smiley baby who comes from a proud military family.
“She’s very adventurous,” mom Crystal Mendoza told TODAY, as Maddie cooed happily in her lap and gazed at the cameras.
While her sweet smile won over the Gerber judges, her parents also want people to know she has a strong spirit and a mind of her own. When she was born, she had trouble breathing and needed supplemental oxygen. After a few nights, she apparently decided she’d had enough oxygen, tore off her tubes and breathed just fine.
“She was able to tell us when she was ready to go home,” dad Jun Mendoza told TODAY in an interview before the broadcast from his office in Colorado Springs. “That kind of aligned with her adventurous, independent spirit.”
Befitting her new role as an official taste-tester, 10-month-old Maddie has an adventurous palate, her parents say: She’s tried everything from sea urchin to kimchi (not a big fan).
Jun and Crystal, who both have dads who are Navy veterans, say it means a lot to them to have Maddie representing military children, whose sacrifices often go unseen.
“We are supporting them and there for them, and acknowledge what they go through,” Jun said.
Gerber President and CEO Tarun Malkani apologized for getting a little choked up when he got to break the happy news to the Mendoza family.
“This is truly the best part of my job,” Malkani said. “All babies are perfect, we know that, but I think Maddie really captured our hearts. We’re super proud to have her represent us.”
In addition to being the Gerber Baby for 2023, Maddie wins the title of “Chief Growing Officer,” a new wardrobe from Gerber’s clothing line, a year’s supply of Gerber products and a $25,000 prize. Gerber is also donating $25,000 to the March of Dimes’ maternal and infant health programs, as well as $5,000 to Operation Homefront, which supports military families.
This year’s contest included a…
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