Zhou Xijun was sentenced to death by the Changchun Intermediate People's Court which also deprived him of his political rights for life.
Zhou was also sentenced to five years in jail and fined 50,000 yuan (USD 8,065) for stealing, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.
He was ordered to pay the family of the baby 17,098.50 yuan to compensate for economic losses.
On March 4, Zhou stole an SUV parked by the side of a road in Changchun, capital of Jilin Province, and drove it onto a highway.
He turned himself in a day after massive searches for the baby and the thief were launched by police and the public.