Meet Riley Shines, the 2017 winner of the Gerber Baby Photo Search. “People will stop us and say, ‘He needs to model,'” the 7-month-old baby’s mom, Kristen, tells Us Weekly. “I’ve always joked around that my goal is to get his face on a diaper box, but this is way bigger and better!”
A panel of judges selected the Lewis Center, Ohio–based infant from a pool of more than 110,000 applicants. As the Gerber “spokesbaby,” Riley (and his parents, Kristen and Devin) will receive $50,000 and $1,500 in Gerber Childrenswear. Plus, his year will be documented on Gerber’s social media. “We’re putting the money in a college fund,” says Kristen.
So far, fame hasn’t gone to Riley’s head. “He’s a laid-back guy,” dad Devin tells Us of the little one. “He only gets fussy when he needs to nap or if he has a wet diaper. Even when he’s hungry he’ll just kind of hint at you like, ‘Hey, I could use some more food.’” Adds Kristen: “If all babies were this easy, the world would be way more populated!”
Indeed, the good-natured tot, whose milestones include army crawling and rolling over, is even sleeping through the night. Gushes Devin: “We got really lucky. He’s a scheduled guy.”
