When it comes to parenting, all mums (regardless of what the experts and books may say) will have their own way of doing things. And here at MummyPages, that's a strong part of our ethos, to never judge a mum for her choices, assuming she is doing what she feels is the absolute best for her and her children.
Photos of children sitting in car seats always seem to evoke a strong reaction because when it comes to car seat safety, most have their own opinions as to which is the safest and correct way to settle your little one in them.
Bearing this in mind, the reaction to Grey's Anatomy alum and actress Katherine Heigl's latest Instagram post has caused some surprise. The picture of her adorable baby son sitting in his car seat caused some commentators to question how safely the little one was strapped in.
Heigl posted a photo of her one-year-old son Josh sitting in his car seat, but the post wasn't intended to be a tell-all on car seat safety. The post was a part of her list of favourite baby products. "Every parent has a few favourite baby products they just can't live without ... and I'm no exception!" she wrote in the photo's caption, explaining the post is connected to an article on her website about "must have essentials."
Specifically, some raised concerns about the seat's chest clip being too low to properly brace the boy for impact in the event of an accident - bearing in mind that this seat contains a clip that is not recommended for use in car seats in Europe.
One person pointed out the error writing, "Is no one else commenting on how his chest clip is too low and not tight enough?" Another included information on the proper location for the clip. "Not to be 'one of those people' but the chest clip really needs to be at armpit level."
To our eye, and even though this is a picture without context, it appears that she was mid tightening the strap (in the US, it's generally advised that the clip is at armpit level for maximum safety) and decided to snap a photo as Josh pulled that cute-yet-puzzled look on this face. What mum hasn't done the same? And thankfully, some pointed out the same possibility.
"[To] those busting on the chest clip..he is clearly making a funny face and she decided to snap a pic. My car seat always looks like this until I tighten it. I’m sure she knows how to buckle her kid up. Sheesh!" wrote one.
"How do you know it wasn’t pulled down to take pictures? I’m sure she’s got it under control," wrote another.
We're inclined to agree. While child safety is the most important thing - and more awareness of potential pitfalls is a good thing - mum-shaming another mum isn't the answer. Some outlets have wondered why Heigl hasn't commented "on the situation" and we're assuming it's because she knew what she was doing to keep her little one as safe as possible.
