Baltimore baby Syannei Rae came into the world on July 4, but her first days of life were far from a celebration. Just two days after coming home, she was rushed back to the hospital and admitted to the progressive care unit with an infection, a frightening start that her mother, Sabrina Norris, says pushed the whole family to its limits. Now healthy, Syannei Rae is channeling that rocky beginning into a bid for the 2026 Baby of the Year title.
A Rough Start Turned Into Motivation
According to WMAR 2 News, Norris described the ordeal in stark terms, saying, “It was rough. I'm postpartum and I'm in the hospital next to her bedside, with children at home.” The station reports that Syannei Rae's early struggle became the spark for entering the national contest. “Her first week of life was a little rough, so I was like, 'Let's do something to celebrate your life,'” Norris said.
Per the same account, Syannei Rae is home, healthy and happy today, and her mother has been busy making fliers and social media posts to build support for her campaign. Votes are coming in from family, friends, neighbors and daycare teachers, the report notes. Supporters can cast a free vote once every 24 hours, while adults other than the entering parent may also make additional votes through donations, according to USA Today.
What Winning Would Mean for the Family
The stakes are real. One grand-prize winner will take home a $25,000 cash prize, star in a national ad campaign with The Honest Company and be featured in an advertorial in Variety magazine, per information from Baby of the Year. If Syannei Rae wins, the article notes, Norris plans to put the money toward her daughter's college education and a trip to Disney.
The 2026 campaign marks the third annual Baby of the Year competition, open to babies from birth through 24 months, with a parent or legal guardian submitting the child's photo and profile, USA Today reports. The contest is operated by Colossal, a nationally registered professional fundraiser, on behalf of the charitable grantmaker DTCare, with Baby2Baby serving as the designated beneficiary, the outlet notes.
The Charity Behind the Contest
Baby2Baby is a national nonprofit providing essential items to children and families in need, and the competition raises money to support its mission, WMAR 2 News reports. In Maryland, the organization serves families in Baltimore, Bowie and Silver Spring, and it also provides emergency assistance to children and families affected by disasters and supports maternal and newborn health through essential supplies and resources, according to the same report.
Nationally, Baby2Baby reaches more than one million children across all 50 states each year and distributes basic essentials to nearly 1,000 nonprofit organizations and government agencies, according to Baby2Baby's own impact figures. Over the past 15 years, the organization says it has distributed more than half a billion critical items, including diapers, formula and clothing. This year alone, Baby2Baby says it has received requests for 1.9 billion diapers, per WMAR 2 News.
A Growing National Field
Syannei Rae isn't the only Mid-Atlantic baby in the running. A 5-month-old Richmond infant named Elora has advanced into the top 10 of the contest and was sitting in fourth place, with voting still underway as of late September, according to WTVR. Elora's mother has said she plans to save the prize money for her daughter's future if she takes the title, the station reports.
Past winners hail from Los Angeles: Sloane Maya became the inaugural Baby of the Year in 2024, and Luca took the title in 2025, according to Los Angeles Magazine. The outlet reports that parents of past winners say competing takes real effort, including staying active on social media and asking relatives and friends to share the baby's profile.
The fundraising totals attached to the contest's first two years vary by source. A USA Today report states the competition generated more than $45 million in grants for Baby2Baby, while a news release attributed to prnewswire.com put the two-year total at over $42 million supporting families and children. A more recent prnewswire.com release states that since 2024, funds generated through the competition have resulted in more than $45 million in grants to Baby2Baby.
