I used to be a life insurance agent. If you have the means to buy Whole Life over Term, and you're buying life insurance anyway, then you should do so.
For a child though? I wouldn't bother with the Gerber thing. IIRC, the Gerber policy is a term policy while the child is under 18 and can then be converted to a whole policy when the child matures at 18. (I don't recall clearly though, so don't quote me there--it's been almost 20 years.)
Investing that money into a college fund makes much more sense. While I certainly believe it's never too early to invest in life insurance (lowest possible premiums, highest possible payout, and you always want to assure your loved ones can carry on in your absence) a child will gain far more from lower college education costs than having a small insurance policy--and have better means to later provide for family members, including purchasing a quality life insurance plan as an adult.
And that's exactly how I'd frame the argument to anyone who wants to invest in my child's future.
