THE claws are out in a national baby competition with tots being the target of nasty comments about their appearance and racial insults.

One child was allegedly referred to as an "ugly duckling".

A record 52,000 bubs have been entered in the annual Bonds Baby Search, up from 17,000 last year.

But organisers were yesterday forced to warn Facebookers that bullying comments and negative remarks about children would be removed.

One mum sent some of the comments to police.

Brisbane mother Pippa Taylor said someone posted a comment on a photo of her Eurasian daughter, Lilli, on the Bonds Bumps and Baby Facebook page saying "Bonds Australia not Asia".

Ms Taylor, from Morningside in Brisbane's east, said she was floored when she read the comment.

"It's almost like an American beauty pageant where the women get their claws out," Ms Taylor said.

Another mum complained on the Facebook site that someone had commented on a photo of her daughter saying: "A child only a mother could love".

media_camera 'HORRID' COMMENTS: Pippa Taylor with her daughter Lilli, 2, who was entered in the Bonds Baby Search

The person allegedly said they hoped "this ugly duckling will turn into a princess".

Both comments were allegedly written by the same person and have been removed.

It has outraged mums on the Facebook page.

One wrote yesterday that she had taken her child out of the competition.

"I don't want my pumpkin to be a part of such pathetic stage-mum behaviour. Some people must really hate their lives to be so nasty to sweet innocent babies!"

Ms Taylor said she was stunned at the racial comments made about her two-year-old. She claimed the same person described a little girl as "just horrid".

"I just think it's atrocious," she said. "It is meant to be just some fun and for a whole heap of (parents) to put their babies up because they think their babies are gorgeous. They are. All babies are gorgeous."

A Bonds spokesman said the competition was a celebration of babies and the comments were not in the spirit of the competition.

Originally published as Ugly row erupts over cute kids comp