Jill (Duggar) Dillard is being mom-shamed by fans who claim she put her nearly 2-year-old son Samuel in danger by incorrectly putting him in his car seat.
The Counting On alum took to Instagram on Sunday to show off her and Samuel’s latest adventure: a quick trip through the Sonic Drive-In for a corn dog, with little Samuel coming along for the ride.
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“Made a quick trip to @sonicdrivein for a little #familytimeout #sickkids, Duggar captioned the post. “Sam loved his corndog.”
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The family outing, however, drew criticism after several of Duggar’s followers slammed her for not having Samuel rear-facing in his car seat.
“He’s super cute, glad he enjoyed his corn dog,” one follower began. “He still looks pretty small, so if he hasn’t maxed the limits it’s safer to be rear facing. Also, unless those strap covers came with his seat, as cute as they are, unfortunately aren’t safe because they can turn the straps into a conveyor belt in the event of impact.”
“Please consider placing Sam in a rear-facing position — it is so much safer,” another fan wrote.
Although plenty of fans had been eager to come to Duggar’s defense, one commenter went as far as slamming them for offering the TLC reality TV star back up.
“For everyone trying to run to her rescue regarding the car seat comments. It is not mom shaming. It is trying to save a child’s life. Car seat safety is not a parenting preference. It is life or death,” the fan wrote. “The way the child is strapped into the seat is not correct. Moms are helping moms. If you post it on Instagram you’ve opened yourself up to feedback and no moms are trying to ‘shame’ her.”
This of course would not be the first time that Duggar has faced criticism for the way in which she has put her children in car seats, and it’s certainly not the first time her parenting choices have come under the microscope.
In May of last year, the Counting On alum faced backlash after she shared a photo of herself and sons Israel and Samuel, then 10 months, following a trip to the polls. At the time, many fans criticized Duggar for what they claimed was placing Samuel in a car seat he had outgrown.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), children should remain in a rear-facing seat until the age of two or until they reach the upper weight or height limit of seat. Only when they outgrow their rear-facing seat should they be forward-facing.
