Chrissy Teigen has sparked a furious debate with a recent Instagram post — but it has nothing to do with politics, diet, or beauty standards this time.
Over the weekend, the 32-year-old star shared a sweet photo of herself with her nearly-two-year-old daughter Luna in her lap, capturing the pair going down a slide together.
But while most looked at the picture and simply saw a loving mother-daughter moment, a handful saw imminent danger and were quick to criticize Chrissy in the comments.
Fun time: Chrissy Teigen shared this photo of herself with her daughter at the park this weekend
What’s this new thing? She said that Luna was ‘skeptical’ of the slide
Danger! Several commenters chimed in to tell her that the position they were in was dangerous
Watch out! They told her that her daughter’s legs could break from going down the slide on mom’s lap
Not agaiN! Several were quite critical and warned her of the danger
Rude: Quite a few were rude about it, calling her and ‘idiot’
Not nice: They spoke in such a way that implied that everyone should already know about this danger — but other commenters said they’d never heard of it, either
‘Weeeee are very skeptical of slides right now,’ the expectant mom, who is pregnant with baby number two with husband John Legend, captioned the picture.
The image shows Luna sitting firmly in her mother’s lap, with Chrissy’s long legs extending almost toward the bottom of the slide. Luna is looking down, and seems a bit nervous on the playground equipment — but Chrissy has both hands around the toddler’s middle and is holding her tight.
Though fans quickly began liking the post and commenting on how cute Luna is, a few had some not-so-positive things to say.
‘Just a heads up that this can break your little one’s leg!’ wrote one. ‘I have three friends who have had this happen!’
‘OMG this makes me cringe after seeing a friend go down the slide like this with their baby and seeing the baby’s leg break!’ wrote another.
Some people tried to break the news nicely, linking to a New York Times piece about the risk that references a study at Winthrop University Hospital in Mineola, New York, which found that ‘nearly 14 percent of pediatric leg fractures over an 11-month period involved toddlers riding down the slide with a parent.’
How it happens: They explained that a kid’s legs can get caught between those of the parent
Yikes: If the legs get caught, the force of the parent sliding down can break the legs
Worried: Some noted that Luna’s left foot looked to be in a dangerous position
They cited sources, including a study which found that ‘nearly 14 percent of pediatric leg fractures over an 11-month period involved toddlers riding down the slide with a parent’
They grow up so fast! Little Luna turns two this April
Sweet: Chrissy often posts photos of the adorable little girl looking pretty and being silly
They explained that a child’s food can get caught between or under parents’ legs, and the force of the parent going down the slide can cause bones to break.
However, other people weren’t quite so gentle about it. Snapped one: ‘You are going to hurt the kid idiot.’
Whether the advice was informative or just rude, though, Chrissy’s supporters were having none of it. They too started to chime in, telling critics to stop policing how other mothers parent.
‘Instead of shaming a mom for something not shame worthy worry about your own child,’ wrote one. ‘The mom shaming needs to stop. We should all be supporting each other,’ wrote another.
‘My little girls leg did break from the same thing but it NEVER even entered my mind looking at this photo. I believe if your unlucky like us it was one in a million chance & we were the unlucky ones but guess what? We got straight back on the slide a day after the cast came off!! Have fun,’ added another.
Clap back: Chrissy responded in snarky fashion, quipping that Luna’s legs did break — as did those of everyone else in the park, just from watching
Lay off: Several fans came to the model’s defense as well
Chill, people: Quite a few said the ‘Mom Police’ need to stop weighing in on others’ parenting
Bliss: Many only saw sweet things about the family photo
Too funny! After Chrissy’s response, many others joked that their legs were broken from looking at the picture
Danger everywhere! Some added that literally everything could hurt a child, and they can’t be so completely sheltered
One on the way… Chrissy and husband John Legend are expecting their second child
There were also quite a few commenters who pointed out that children get hurt doing all sorts of things, especially on a playground — and a parent certainly could not be expected to cover a child in bubble wrap or trap a kid inside at all times.
Eventually, Chrissy herself weighed back in, answering her critics with a bit of signature sarcasm.
‘Wish you guys would have told me about the leg thing earlier. They broke. Both of them. And everyone else’s in the park broke too just from watching it happen. There are so many broken legs here,’ she quipped.
She also directly addressed concerns about the position of Luna’s left leg in the photo, pointing out that a picture captures a fraction of a second in time — and this was the moment that Chrissy was lifting Luna into her lap, not sliding down the slide.
Since the clap back, hundreds more fans have taken Chrissy’s lead, addressing her haters with a big of snark and humor.
Many joked that they broke both of their legs simply by looking at the photo, while a few pretended to tell Chrissy off for even taking her child out of the house in the first place.