Gerber Looking For Next Big Baby Star

If your child or grandchild is adorable (and aren't they all) they might have what it takes to be the next Gerber baby star! According to USA Today, you can now enter your child into the 2024 Gerber Baby Photo Search.

The contest started on Tuesday, April 30th. This is the company's 14th annual photo search to find its national 'spokesbaby'. The iconic baby food brand is known for their cute baby picture on the jars/packages as much as they are known for their products.

In addition to becoming photo famous, the winning baby receives $25,000 as a grand prize. Not too shabby! This money can help with all types of things, as we all know raising kids is expensive. Or you can use the money to start a college fund. It's up to you!

This year the company is giving more prizes away than just the grand prize. 10 additional babies will be chosen to receive prizes.

Gerber has been around since 1927, creating nutritious foods for babies. As the years have passed, the company's baby line has only grown. Although I don't have kids, I have used the baby food. When my dog Gypsy was ill, I started cooking for her for the last few years of her life. I'd add baby food into the food I made so that she could eat fruits and veggies. She loved it!

The original Gerber Baby was Ann Turner Cook, who was born in 1926. She became the model for the brand and has appeared on the company's food packages for years and years.

When entering the competition, remember that you don't need a 'perfect' photo. The company looks for a great smile, but a fun personality is always a bonus. Silliness and total cuteness go a long way.

The photo contest ends on May 24, so get those entries in here. You can submit pictures and videos of kids up to 4 years old for a chance at the 2024 win. And good luck!

Naming your baby is such a special moment. There's lots of attention that goes into finding that just-right first name, but don't forget about the middle name. A great middle name can really make that baby's moniker. Actually, my first name, Anne, is a very popular middle name. But, I'm not too upset about it. So, what are the most popular middle names for babies?

There's a new study out from Baby-chick.com that lists the most popular middle names for babies. "While choosing the perfect first name for your child is essential, picking a middle name can be significant, too," the publication notes. "It can carry significance and become a huge part of their identity." You might want a traditional middle name, or you might want something more modern. To help, Baby-chick.com has put together a list of some very popular baby names for boys, girls and gender-neutral ones, too.

If you're wondering about the history of middle names, it began during medieval times. Moreover, according to Ancestry.com, for centuries in Europe, a legal name had just a first name and a surname or patronymic, and middle names became popular in late Medieval times. "In England, they were reserved for the nobility, with an old law making them illegal for the rest of the population," Ancestry.com states. "Since the Pilgrims and many early settlers came from England, early Americans followed the tradition of having only two names." They add that you can see this phenomena via the early Massachusetts birth records on Ancestry.com. Looking at the Boston data in their database, there were no middle names in the 1600s, but some middle names started showing up in the early 1700s. I personally love having a middle name. It adds character.

Let's get into the most popular middle names for babies. Maybe these will give you an idea if you're naming a little one soon.

My name is actually the most common middle name for girls. Should I be upset? Not sure, but I've always liked my name, so I'm not mad about it.

Here are the 10 most common middle names for girls via Baby-chick.com, and find their full list here.

1. Ann or Anne
2. Anna
3. Catherine
4. Elizabeth
5. Faith
6. Grace
7. Hope
8. Jane
9. Jean
10. Joy

Here are the 10 most common middle names for boys via Baby-chick.com, and find their full list here. These surprise me, because they do seem like popular first names, too.

1. Andrew
2. Anthony
3. Benjamin
4. Christopher
5. Daniel
6. Edward
7. Elijah
8. Henry
9. Jack
10. John

Baby-chick.com also has some suggestions for "cute" baby middle names for boys and girls. The ones that top the list are Alice, Bella (love that one), Claire, Coco and Eloise for girls, and Beckett, Caleb, Connor, Easton and Hartley for boys.

The top three cool baby middle names for girls, according to Baby-chick.com, are Arya, Honor and Jade, while the top three cool baby middle names for boys are Ace, Ajax (never heard of it) and Apollo. The top three unique baby middle names for girls are Avalon, Birdie and Gratia, and the top three unique baby middle names for boys are Angelo, Ansel and Blaze.

If you want to keep your baby's name gender-neutral, or if you don't want anyone to know the birth gender of your new baby secret up until the birth, then you might want to go with a gender-neutral name. The top five are Aubrey, Billie, Blake, Blue and Dakota. Find more ideas here.