Obese 8-month-old baby seized from parents

At 8 months, the little Colombian weighs 21 kilos, which is the same weight as a 6-year-old child. He became so big thanks to his mother, who gave him food every time he cried.

Santiago Mendos, the fattest baby in Colombia, and probably the whole world, was taken from his home in the northeastern city of Valledupar to Bogotá on Sunday. Volunteers from an obesity charity helped raise money for his treatment.

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1. Little Santiago Mendoza is officially considered the fattest child in Colombia. At eight months old, he weighs like a six-year-old boy. Social workers were forced to remove the child from the family, fearing for his life and health.

2. Santiago's mother, Eunice Fandido, blames herself for bringing her child to this state. The woman admitted that her own "ignorance" led to her son's unhealthy weight gain, and that every time he started crying, she fed him to calm him down.

3. Using milk and other foods as a universal sedative for her son, a resident of Colombia was sure that all mothers do this. “Santiago was born with a wild cry. I breastfed him and he calmed down. It seemed to me that everyone does this, ”the woman said.

4. However, this parenting model turned out to be detrimental to the boy. He began to gain weight at a tremendous rate.

5. As a result of obesity, the child has serious health problems, he has already been taken to the hospital several times.

6. This time, local authorities insisted that the boy be urgently transported from his hometown of Volledapar to one of the hospitals in Bogotá, the capital of Colombia. Doctors say that the child needs surgery, a strict diet and a set of physical exercises. Otherwise, doctors say, in the future the boy will suffer from diabetes, high blood pressure, and also earn serious joint problems.

7. Funds for the treatment of the boy were collected with the help of a charitable foundation.

8. The head of the charitable foundation, Palacio Gonzalez, said that doctors from the Colin clinic would deal with the child's treatment. According to him, doctors will try to bring the baby's weight to an acceptable level before resorting to operations.

9. “He will need long-term treatment and healthy nutrition, and when the boy grows up, we will increase physical activity,” said surgeon Caesar Ernesto Guevara. “Otherwise, he will suffer from diabetes, high blood pressure and joint pain in the future.”

10. The boy's mother reported that she was practically housebound because her child was too heavy to take with her. However, she added that she was optimistic and promised to follow the instructions given by the doctors.