Jamie Oliver’s latest snap of his wife Jools Oliver and their baby son River has sparked some concern among parents.
The 41-year-old celebrity chef posted a photo of his wife holding their four-month-old son on her 42nd birthday.
“Happy birthday Mrs Oliver,” he wrote. “Love you and of course the dude that is baby River 🚀.”
However some parents claimed the front-facing baby carrier was “dangerous”.
“Happy birthday. But please never use that carrier again,” one mother wrote.
“It’s not ergonomic for the child and can cause hip dysplasia. Use a carrier that support from knee to knee.”
Another person commented: “Please do your research or ask your physio; narrow-based carriers are not only dangerous but also uncomfortable for baby.
“River doesn’t look particularly cosy in that pic, they should never front face.
“Also hip dysplasia can be undiagnosed in 15% of babies.”
One other person wrote: “No, the baby should never look forward.”
The concern surrounding River’s legs comes from the need for babies to have their hips supported.
Hipdysplasia.org states that when babies are carried, the hips should be allowed to “spread apart with the thighs supported and the hips bent”.
Previously speaking to The Huffington Post UK, Rosemary Dodd, senior policy advisers at The National Childbirth Trust (NCT) said: “It’s recommended, particularly by those concerned with hip dysplasia which is the dislocation of hips, they babies are carried in the “M” position.
“This is where they have their bottom down and their knees up.”
Dodd said some babies are more prone than others to hip dysplasia, and some babies are even born with their hip not correctly set in their socket.
On NCT’s safety recommendations about carrying a baby it states: “Carrying a young baby facing out [in a sling] is not recommended, as it forces your baby’s back straight against your chest, and causes their legs to dangle in a harness like position.
“This can mean the baby’s weight rests on his crotch rather than being spread from his bottom and thighs.”
Other celebrities have previously had concerned parents comment on the way they were carrying their baby, including Sam Faiers and Ryan Reynolds.
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