Actress Rebel Wilson recently posted a sun-kissed holiday snap to Instagram, where she stands under a palm tree, holding her baby daughter, Royce.
The sweet family photo looks idyllic – but it seemed to irk some social media users.
‘Has the nanny not shown her how to hold the baby yet?’ asked one commenter. ‘Socially distancing her own baby,’ said another.
The Pitch Perfect star isn’t the first celeb mum to be shamed for the way they hold their own child.
Megan Markle was branded ‘awkward’ for the way she carried son, Archie, in their first public outing after his birth, and model Emily Ratajkowski was slammed for holding her baby like ‘a fashion accessory’.
It seems an A-lister can’t take their child out for a stroll without someone passing comment.
But with all the opinions and unsolicited ‘advice’ from followers, is any of it actually worth listening to?
Dr Philippa Kaye is a GP and mum of three. She says: ‘When a baby is newborn – until they’re about two months old – it’s very important that you support the head and neck, but otherwise you hold a baby how they like to be held.
‘That might be upright, over your shoulder, on one arm, cradling, ‘rugby-ball’ style – different babies will want different things at different times.
‘If your baby is unhappy, they’ll let you know.’
It’s advice that resonates with Alex Meyer, 31, a journalist and mum to Minna, two, and Lando, eight weeks. She says that she’s been judged by strangers about how she parents her children.
She tells Metro.co.uk: ‘I was once told I shouldn’t breastfeed my baby in public – and I’ve had countless comments about weaning my daughter on to formula at six months old.
‘But people should mind their own business – my baby is totally fine. Becoming a mother is difficult and every day is a learning curve.
‘We need to stop shaming mums for how they hold their children. Most mums are doing their absolute best, so unless the child is in imminent danger, people should stay out of it. Let’s raise each other up, not tear each other down. It takes a village, after all.’
To share how ridiculous this debate is, we took a trip down memory lane, looking back at some of the shaming high-profile mums have received – with Alex demonstrating the holds that were deemed oh-so-shocking.
We asked Dr Philippa to give her verdict – spoiler: your baby is probably fine.
Rebel Wilson
So was the way that Rebel was holding her child really so offensive?
‘If a baby can hold their own head up, then this position is okay,’ says Dr Philippa.
‘But I think we can see from this photo, that Lando doesn’t really like this position! It’s also not a comfortable way to hold a baby for a prolonged period of time.
‘It’s a way of showing the baby for a photo.’
Emily Ratajkowski
While on holiday to celebrate her 30th birthday, Emily shared a picture of herself and her then three-month-old son, Sylvester.
The pair were wearing matching swimsuits, but it was the position her baby was in that really caught the internet’s attention.
Emily faced backlash for holding her baby ‘like a prop’, but Dr Philippa says: ‘Ideally you might have a little more support for the baby lower down so it’s more comfortable for both mum and baby, but if baby is happy, and they can hold their head up, this isn’t likely to cause any harm.’
‘Most people would be more comfortable holding them with a little more support under their bottom.’
Meghan Markle
It’s perhaps no surprise that the first time Meghan Markle was seen in public with a then newborn Archie, she faced a barrage of criticism.
It was a sunny July day in Surrey and as Meghan watched husband Prince Harry in a charity polo match, she held her son against her chest.
People were not happy with the Duchess, saying she looked ‘awkward and uncomfortable.’
But Dr Philippa says there’s lots of support. ‘If baby is comfortable, it’s comfortable.
‘Some babies might like to be held further up so they can see more.’
Chrissy Teigen
Once again, it’s a struggle to understand quite what the haters were so angry about with this one. Model Chrissy Teigen has faced the wrath of mum-shamers on multiple occasions – and they really don’t like the way she carries daughter, Luna, on her hip.
‘This is not how a baby is held,’ wrote on Twitter user, after seeing snaps of the cute mum and daughter duo in New York City.
Dr Philippa says: ‘In this position, the left arm is supporting the head and neck more, which is helpful for babies too young to do that for themselves.
‘Babies with reflux may also prefer to be held more upright like this.’
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