Kim Kardashian has sparked a parenting debate over a photo of her 18-month-old Saint sat in a front-facing car seat.
The 36-year-old, who is also mum to four-year-old North with her husband Kanye West, shared the snap of her son on Facebook.
It has had nearly 2,000 comments in three days. One mum commented: ”He’s very cute, but it would be safer for him to be rear-facing in his seat.”
Another wrote: “He should face the other way until he is two, Kim.”
Another person commented on the photo: “Saint is so, so cute but please, turn his car seat around. He should not be front-facing at his age.”
Other parents said they shouldn’t criticise Kardashian for her parenting choices.
“Yes, ok, it’s safer having them rear-facing but a mother’s instinct is always right.” one person wrote. “My child is almost two years old and with his long legs, he looks like a four-year-old. He hasn’t rear-faced since I took him out the baby car seat and he is perfectly fine.”
Another wrote: “Omg. This shaming needs to stop. I got my son a car seat at one years old and it wasn’t rear-facing, he’s safe. Just enjoy the picture.”
One mum also added: “I have an almost three-year-old that has been front-facing since she was big enough to be.
“As mothers, we should really support each other and not criticise every single thing another mum does - no matter who she is. Front-facing or rear-facing, at least she has the safety clips right.”
The UK law states on height-based seats (also known as ‘i-Size’ seats), children must be rear-facing until they are over 15 months old.
“Your child can use a forward-facing child car seat when they’re over 15 months old,” it states.
On weight-based seats, the law states a child must be rear-facing until they are 9kg. After this, they can be rear- or forward-facing using a harness.
The National Childbirth Trust (NCT) states on their website: “Babies can move into a forward-facing car seat (Group 1) seat when they reach 9kg; but it is safer to leave them rear-facing until they are 13kg or 15 months old.
“Don’t feel in a rush to turn your child’s car seat forward-facing too soon. Seats that let you keep your child rear-facing until the age of four are becoming more common.”