Eva Longoria's Son Santiago: Everything She's Said About Parenting

Eva Longoria and José "Pepe" Bastón welcomed Santiago Enrique Bastón in 2018

Eva Longoria's son is her pride and joy.

The Desperate Housewives alum welcomed her only child, Santiago Enrique Bastón, 5, with her husband, José Antonio "Pepe" Bastón, on June 19, 2018.

Longoria was never really "focused on" having a baby, but becoming a stepmom to Bastón's three other children from a previous relationship opened her up to the idea. The couple, who got married in 2016, announced they were expecting a baby boy in December 2017. After welcoming Santiago and becoming a mother, Longoria's life instantly changed.

"From the moment he was placed in my arms, I knew no love like this before," Longoria wrote on Instagram four months after his birth, calling her "little bundle of love" a "miracle."

The actress has said that motherhood changed all her instincts and gave her "new eyes on the world," both at home and at work. Thankfully, little Santiago's sunny disposition made parenting pretty "easy" for his parents, even during his early days. As Longoria revealed during an August 2019 interview with Parents: "He's healthy, he's funny, he's sweet, he sleeps, he eats."

These days, Santiago is growing up so fast, and he looks just like his mom. Longoria frequently shares photos of him on her social media, and the mother-son duo have enjoyed plenty of cute moments together.

Most recently, Longoria and Santiago celebrated Bastón's birthday in April 2023, with the Flamin' Hot director sharing a sweet family photo on Instagram to mark the occasion. In the snap, Santiago is adorably sandwiched between his two parents as he smiles for the camera.

Here's everything to know about Eva Longoria's son, Santiago Enrique Bastón.

He was born on June 19, 2018

Santiago Enrique Bastón was born on June 19, 2018, at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, weighing in at 6 lbs., 13 oz. Longoria and Bastón confirmed the birth of their first child to Hola!, saying: "We are so grateful for this beautiful blessing." The couple also shared the first image of the newborn baby boy.

Longoria revealed that she was "nervous, excited, emotional" about giving birth ahead of Santiago's arrival. She celebrated her soon-to-be son with a pajama party-themed baby shower, with celebrities like Sophia Bush, Elizabeth Banks, Melanie Griffith and Longoria's former Desperate Housewives costar Marcia Cross in attendance.

Just six weeks after his birth, Santiago graced his first magazine cover, appearing on Hola! with his mom.

"I feel like I've known him my whole life," the new mom told the outlet, adding that being his mother "is magical."

He follows his mom everywhere she goes

Since he was little, Santiago has been tagging along with his mom to work and visiting her on the sets of her movies and TV shows.

"He is with me all of the time!" the actress told PEOPLE when he was just 10 months old. "If you follow me on Instagram, you will see that he is on set with me, that he's in meetings with me."

As a working mother, Longoria's philosophy is that "incorporating him in my life and everything that I do" is key to striking a healthy balance between her professional and personal life.

"I think women do it all the time, every day," she continued. "Women balance work and family all the time, and I am just one of those many women."

The only challenge? He doesn't recognize her when she's all glammed up. The first time she went back to work with Santiago, he was confused once he saw her in set makeup.

"He was looking at me like, 'Who are you, where's my mom?' and I was like, 'This is how Mommy really looks, sweetheart,' " she joked to Extra.

He had a Disney-themed first birthday

Although Longoria "swore" she wasn't going to "have a crazy big birthday party," she couldn't resist throwing a big bash for Santiago's first birthday, which turned out "bigger than [her] wedding!"

The family headed to Disneyland to celebrate baby Santiago's birthday and baptism, with Longoria thanking Mickey Mouse himself for helping make the baby boy's day so special and musing on how quickly he seemed to grow up.

"When did this happen?!!! I have a one year old! Y'all he's not a baby anymore, he's a toddler! 😩," the actress captioned a sweet mother-son picture on Instagram, adding, "this past year has been the best year of my life."

"Every laugh and giggle that comes out of your mouth and every smile that crosses your face has been pure joy," she continued. "Thank you for choosing me as your mamá! I love you amor mio! Happy Birthday Santi baby!"

He's a proud soccer fan

At less than a week old, baby Santiago was already a big soccer fan and, of course, a fan of his mother's home country.

"Look who's ready for #Mexico game! #WorldCup 🇲🇽🇲🇽🇲🇽," Longoria captioned an adorable photo of the newborn wearing a custom Mexico jersey with his name on it as he cuddled up to watch his favorite team in his first-ever soccer game.

Celebrities like David Beckham to Ricky Martin commented on the sweet snap, with the latter writing: "QUE BELLEZA!!!!!!" which translates to "that beauty" in Spanish.

He's being raised as a feminist

Speaking to PEOPLE during the Eva Longoria Foundation's Annual Dinner in November 2018, the activist shared that she is very committed to educating her son on feminism. Teaching her son about equality is "going to be a big lesson," she said, "but it's not only about teaching him, it's about showing him."

Even before he was born, Longoria knew she wanted to raise a feminist son. "I'm so excited that I'm having a boy because I think the world needs more good men," she said in a 2018 video celebrating International Women's Day.

"This boy, my son, will be surrounded by very strong, educated, powerful women," she continued. "I think it's important that he sees those types of role models in his life so he knows how to support it, how to applaud it and how to honor it."

He has his mom's support if he decides to be an actor

Since Santiago has been visiting sets since he was 2 months old, it wouldn't be a complete surprise if he ends up pursuing acting, and Longoria would be his biggest fan.

"If he decides to be an actor when he grows up, of course I would support him!" Longoria told PEOPLE in December 2018. However, he may also have a future in directing.

"I think I found our next director," the star captioned a November 2018 Instagram post of her and baby Santiago playing with the director's clapboard on the set of ABC's Black-ish.

When Longoria returned to work after her maternity leave, Santiago accompanied her on set, but caused "no trouble." The actress, director and producer explained to PEOPLE, "He comes on the set, but so far has not given an opinion of my work! When I direct, he watches me and pays close attention."

Longoria took parenthood advice from Kerry Washington

During an August 2018 interview with Entertainment Tonight, Longoria reflected on her "amazing community of women that have really helped me transition into motherhood." That community includes none other than Kerry Washington.

Longoria described the Scandal star as "basically my doula" and also shared the best parenting advice she had given her, which was to "follow your own instincts."

"I have a baby nurse, I have my mom, I’ve got my mother-in-law and [Washington]'s like, ‘You have the best instincts,’ ” Longoria said.

He might be "the new John Legend"

At 3 months old, Santiago was already showing off his moves and rivaling Grammy winners. In a video Longoria shared on Instagram of the then-newborn baby playing with a foot-powered toy piano, his mom can be heard saying: "Good job! Are you the new John Legend? You're so talented!" as the music plays and Santiago coos and squeals.

"Hey @chrissyteigen, I think I found the new @johnlegend!" Longoria joked in the caption, adding, "Watch out John, he's got talent! 😂😂😂."

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