15-07-2025
Mum accused of ‘child abuse' after showing off ‘giant' 4-month-old baby whose size is ‘off the charts'
A MUM says her 'giant' 22lb baby turns heads in the street - as he's 2.5 feet long and wears clothes for toddlers at only four months old.
Maci Mugele shared the clip of her four-month-old baby Gunner Mattheyer on TikTok to the I Like Them Chunky song by last month, when she was hit with backlash about his size.
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A number of users left negative comments on the clip about Gunner's weight and suggested it was 'child abuse' - while others said his 'chunky rolls' are 'cute'.
Maci says that her baby is 'healthy' and doctors have reassured her that he's just big for his age.
Gunner weighed 8lb 1oz and measured 19.5 inches tall when he was born on February 19 but has since shot up to 22lb 8oz and now measures two and a half feet long.
The 21-year-old says that Gunner measured big throughout her pregnancy and continues to 'eat more than the average baby'.
The mum-of-one says she never expected it to go viral and rack up more than 20 million views.
Maci, from Chandler, Oklahoma, US, said: "He always measured a week or two ahead [when I was pregnant].
"I could just tell that he was pretty big and everybody already told me that my stomach was bigger than average.
"You only have two scans throughout your pregnancy so I went to an ultrasound place and paid for an ultrasound to be done to see how big he was.
"They told me that he was measuring quite large for how far along I was.
"I think I was like 34 weeks when he was measuring at 6lb 3oz.
Love Islander reveals if his unborn baby is a boy or a girl at incredible gender reveal party with The Challenge star girlfriend
"The doctors said that he's healthy but sometimes people just have big babies. He's big for his height as well so I think that contributes to him being bigger.
"Ever since the second day in the hospital he has eaten more than the average baby - doctors always told me he was eating a little bit more than the normal baby, which is fine they said."
Maci says Gunner is in the 100th percentile for his weight and the 90th percentile for his height.
The hospital lab worker says she was surprised by some of the reaction and pointed out that she didn't see how it could be cruel to feed a baby when they are hungry.
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Maci said: "It made me upset to realise that there are people like that in this world that feel so comfortable saying these things about a baby.
"That's just so sad to me and I would never want people to say things about him like that.
"I thought that people would think it was cute if they saw it, but I didn't realise how horrible people can be.
"I don't know how it's cruel or abusive that I feed him whenever he's hungry.
"I feel like it would be abusive if I didn't feed him when he was hungry and crying.
"Like the doctor said, he's perfectly healthy and has no problem with his weight."
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CRUEL BACKLASH
Since sharing the clip online, the video has gone viral, racking up more than 20 million views, likes, shares and comments.
Some users were quick to criticise Gunner's size in the comments, labelling it 'child abuse'.
One user said: "Absolute unit, he has booked in to put my new windows in next week."
Another wrote: "This should be child abuse."
A third added: "Girl the box your supposed to use is baby formula not mass gainer."
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NEW FAN BASE
Other social media users defended Gunner's size, calling him 'cute' and many predicted that his size now is simply a good indicator that he will be tall when he gets older.
One user wrote: "The amount of people who are calling a BABY fat. He's got the chunk because he's going to be tall. It's kind how it works.
"They gain a lot of 'chunk' and shoot up. It's literally how kids grow.
Another added: "Chat he is healthy. That is all that matters.
"Yes he's a big baby but if you're so bored that a baby bothers you then something is clearly wrong, not with the baby, with you."
A third person said: "I love chubby little babies so much!
"The chunky little rolls look at his squishy little face! Everyone saying watch out for how much he'll eat as he's older this isn't the best indicator."
Another said: "Omg I wasn't ready. Those chubby little rolls. The cuteness aggression is severe right now."
What is baby led weaning?
Starting your baby on food can be a daunting, scary process.
And while mums have depended for years on purees and soft, easy to eat foods for their babies, there's another approach that often causes controversy.
Namely baby led weaning (BLW).
Instead of spoon-feeding your baby pureed or mashed foods, BLW means offering them "only finger foods and letting them feed themselves from the start", the NHS explained.
"You can offer a range of small, finger-sized pieces of food," they added.
"Some parents prefer baby-led weaning to spoon feeding, while others combine a bit of both.
"There's no right or wrong way – the most important thing is that your baby eats a wide variety of food and gets all the nutrients they need."
