Jonathan (instagram@jrsugianto)

Late last year, a 3-year-old toddler named Jonathan R. Sugianto became a sudden internet sensation after his brother made an Instagram account to document his development in photos.

In less than a year, Jonathan, popularly known as Baby Tatan, has amassed 2.8 million followers, approaching President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo, whose Instagram account had 3.5 million followers as of Wednesday.

Now weighing 18 kilograms, Tatan has managed to captivate people with his chubby cheeks and his ability to talk like an adult, with many people leaving comments on his Instagram account saying that they want a baby who is cute like him.

A quick glance at Tatan’s Instagram account reveals a deep preference for chubby babies among Indonesian people, with many believing that chubby babies are more cute and healthy.

“Some might feel ashamed if their baby is thin. On the other hand, if their baby is fat, they think it is cute even though it is unhealthy,” Jakarta Health Agency head Koesmedi Priharto recently told The Jakarta Post.

This belief seems to be alive and going strong in Jakarta, where 8.1 percent of children under 5 years old (balita) were overweight in 2016, up from 7.5 percent in 2015, much higher than the national average of 4.3 percent in 2016, according to data from the Health Ministry.

This figure has catapulted Jakarta into first rank out of the nation’s 34 provinces in terms of the percentage of overweight children.

Koesmedi said that this increase in the number of overweight children showed that parents in the city were unaware of the dangers of overfeeding their babies without giving them enough exercise.

“The lack of knowledge about overweight babies and the mind-set that if a baby is fat, it is healthy, are some of the problems,” Koesmedi said.

Indonesian Pediatrician Association (IDAI) chairman Aman Bhakti Pulungan said some parents thought feeding their toddlers plenty of food would make them grow taller.

“This does not guarantee that their kids will be taller. Instead, it will lead to obesity, which must be avoided at any age,” Aman said.

Furthermore, since the side effects of being overweight cannot be seen during a young age, parents tend to ignore it.

However, being overweight from a young age can lead to stroke or heart disease during adulthood.

Therefore, parents of children who have a tendency to overeat need to provide their children with foods that have fewer calories and avoid giving them large portions when they eat, Koesmedi said

If children keep asking for food, parents can give them fruits and vegetables as a snack.

Furthermore, parents have to ensure their children get regular exercise, something that they may lack given that more and more children are glued to the screens of gadgets in their houses.

“Do not give them gadgets to play games […]. If they want to use gadgets, they should only be allowed to use them for an one hour a day at most. They also have to move for at least one hour,” said Aman.

Parents are also encouraged to actively seek information if they feel that they do not have sufficient knowledge or information on how to properly feed their babies.

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