Meet the world's oldest baby, 31-year-old Thaddeus
A couple has just welcomed a 31-year-old baby boy named Thaddeus Daniel Pierce.
Here’s the twist: he was born from an embryo that was frozen more than 30 years ago.
Young Thaddeus started his journey way back in May 1994, back when VHS tapes, Nokia brick phones, and baggy jeans were all the rage.
The embryo was created by a couple undergoing in vitro fertilisation (IVF) and was frozen shortly after their first daughter was born.
The other embryos stayed on ice for over three decades.
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Fast forward to 2022, the original biological mom - now in her sixties - donated the embryos to a Christian adoption agency.
Enter Tim and Lindsey Pierce, a married couple who were open to adopting embryos — a practice that’s becoming more common in the US.
Two embryos were implanted, one took, and after a complicated pregnancy, little Thaddeus made his grand entrance in July 2025.
Lindsey says Thaddeus is “super chill,” which checks out.
If you had been frozen since the 90s and had just woken up in 2025, you’d probably be taking things slowly, too.
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Watch the video of Thaddeus, the world's oldest baby:
Here are 3 facts to blow your mind:
- The embryo was technically “older” than both Tim and Lindsey were when it was created
- Thaddeus has a full biological sister who’s in her 30s — and already has a 10-year-old child of her own. That makes Thaddeus both an uncle and a baby at the same time.
- The original donor mom says the resemblance between Thaddeus and her daughter is uncanny. She’s already sent the Pierces some baby photos and hopes to meet them in person.
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This birth also breaks the record previously held by twins born from 30-year-old embryos in 2022.
Experts say this opens the door to new conversations about embryo adoption and long-term storage. There are reportedly over 1.5 million frozen embryos in the US alone.
The science might sound like something out of a sci-fi series, but this story is about more than technology.
And who knows - in a world where vinyl, 90s fashion, and Tamagotchis are making a comeback, maybe babies from the 90s are just the next big thing.
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Image: Unsplash