An Aussie mum has revealed an inside look at the life of her ‘kidfluencer’ son and hit back at critics who claim she’s taking advantage of her four-year-old.
Jerome, the four-year-old son of Nina Gonthier, has almost 100,000 followers on an Instagram account which was set up before he was even born.
His online fame has led to the youngster scoring countless freebies and raking in thousands through brand deals, along with his 18-month-old brother Atlas.
Ms Gonthier, who is a model and influencer herself, said she initially set up tje ‘allthingsjerome’ account after finding out she was pregnant with her first child.
She said she never planned on growing the account, explaining that she intended to use it for sharing photos of Jerome with friends and family.
Jerome, the four-year-old son of Nina Gonthier, has almost 100,000 followers on an Instagram account which was set up before he was even born. They are pictured with 18-month-old Atlas
Jerome’s (pictured) online fame has led to the youngster scoring countless freebies and raking in thousands through brand deals, along with his 18-month-old brother Atlas.
Ms Gonthier had around 40,000 followers and multiple brand deals at the time, but her own following has only continued to grow since then.
‘I had a lot of mum and kid brands reaching out to send me things for Jerome before he was even born,’ she told Daily Mail Australia.
‘I got a lot of clothes, swaddles… personalised blankets, name plaques, prams, bassinets.
‘That was cool… I know it’s very expensive, and all I really needed to do was post an unboxing or something on my story.’
Ms Gonthier said the first photo she shared on Jerome’s account was an ultrasound .
She kept sharing photos once he was born, and even more baby clothes and playthings piled in.
‘For a good few months I didn’t think anything of it.. I just started posting pics to keep people updated if they wanted to follow along,’ she said.
‘I started getting more and more clothes for him… because I wanted to see the outfits on him and things like that.
Jerome’s account rapidly grew in 2020, after his mum shared a photo of him wearing a teddy bear outfit when he was just six-months-old (pictured)
He is now managed by his mother (pictured right), works with two different agencies and has modelled for some of Australia’s most iconic clothing brands
‘I just kept posting photos of him and little clips of him in whatever the brands was sending.’
Jerome’s account rapidly grew in 2020, after his mum shared a photo of him wearing a teddy bear outfit when he was just six-months-old.
He is now managed by his mother, works with two different agencies and has modelled for some of Australia’s most iconic clothing brands, including Bonds, Cotton On Kids and Best and Less.
And it can be a lucrative business, with Jerome able to pocket a few hundred dollars for a photoshoot and a few thousand for a brand deal.
But one thing his mum wants to make clear is that he’s still a normal kid.
‘For me it’s just casual fun,’ Ms Gonthier explained.
‘If Jerome’s not feeling it at a photoshoot and doesn’t want to take photos, I do not force him into anything.
‘There’s no expectation and he still gets to be a kid.
‘Most of the time we take photos of him doing what he does. At a photoshoot we did in Sydney, the kids were running around blowing bubbles and we just captured that.
‘We had a shoot last week for a new kids brand by the beach and we were in a Kombi van, he was playing on a skateboard and we were taking photos on a Polaroid and just having so much fun.
‘We’re not taking photos every single day, we’ll do the odd photo shoot when it comes and for him that’s just another play time but with cameras.
Jerome (pictured) can pocket a few hundred dollars for a photoshoot and a few thousand for a brand deal
Ms Gonthier responded to recent hate comments, saying she’s not exploiting her children
‘He’s a child and he’s living like a child, just with all the little fun bits added to it.’
Critics have harshly judged Ms Gonthier for showcasing her children online but she says it’s a ‘relatively safe’ practice.
She said sharing photos on social media was ‘no different to having a child in a TV ad or Big W catalogue’.
‘It’s really important for me to make sure my children are protected and no one’s getting the wrong idea… I don’t want people to get it twisted,’ she said.
‘The majority of people who follow Jerome are mothers, like myself, and love to get inspiration for their own children.
‘I’m doing everything to protect him and I’ve not had any real trouble since posting him.’
Ms Gonthier also responded to a spate of hate which she has received over her parenting style.
‘He’s a child being a child and I’m just sharing that because he’s beautiful… I’m not exploiting him,’ she said.
‘I’m not making money off him. Everything he gets is for him and goes towards his future, so if you can do that by being a cute kid on social media I don’t see the harm in that.
‘Also, if I don’t love the brand I’m not going to agree to collaborate with them… I’m very particular about what I post with Jerome.’
And if Jerome ever wants to stop being a kidfluencer, his mum says she’s ‘cool’ with that too.
‘If he gets to a certain age and decides, “I’m not sure I want to do this anymore”, he can stop, she said.
‘He’s his own person and that’s all there is to it.’
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