Local baby born at 22 weeks nominated for Baby of the Year award

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- A central Ohio baby who was born at just twenty-two weeks and two days is thriving after eight months in the hospital, and his story has made him a top contender for the Baby of the Year competition.

Remy Garcia was only 1 pound, two ounces when he was born in January 2025. His mom, Charlotte Garcia, said her water broke when she was just seventeen weeks pregnant with Remy.

Charlotte and her husband Oliver, said that for a few weeks, doctors told them they didn’t believe Remy would make it with how early he was born.

“For about two weeks, we were prepared for the worst,” said Oliver Garcia.

Now, he weighs sixteen pounds and has been living happily at home since early September.

Remy was at Nationwide Children’s Hospital for eight months as he got stronger.

Remy did have a brain bleed when he was born, and Charlotte said there are still some unknowns with having a baby born so young. He is at risk for mobility and developmental delays, but he is in occupational and physical therapy weekly, and doctors are happy with his progress.

“At this point, he's doing so well in therapies, and nobody is necessarily predicting that he'll have those issues. But we're just keeping a close eye and obviously with his weekly therapies and everything, trying to stay ahead of the curve,” said Charlotte.

After he was released, the Garcias heard about the Baby of the Year competition. It’s a fundraiser for Baby2Baby, a nonprofit organization that provides children in need with diapers, clothing, and other necessities.

When people donate a dollar, they get a vote for the baby they want to win. People can also vote once for free each day.

Remy is currently in first place in his group, and the winning baby gets a feature in Variety magazine and $25,000.

“Just with how sweet he is and you know, what a crazy year he's been through, I feel like he is a top contender to be Baby of the Year,” said Charlotte.

“We don't get a lot of, like, even fussy from him. He will tell you how he feels about things. He's very stern when he talks to you, but he's very sweet. He loves the attention he gets when he's home,” said Oliver.

Remy is still on oxygen and has a feeding tube, but the Garcias said he is doing extremely well.

They are excited for more family time with Remy and his older sister.

The Garcias found out Friday that Remy is a quarter-finalist for Baby of the Year, which means he was in the top one percent of all the babies in the competition.

You can learn more about Remy’s story and vote for him here.