Gemma Atkinson hits back at criticism of sleeping son – Not my first rodeo

Gemma Atkinson shows her postpartum bump

Gemma Atkinson has responded to fans who reprimanded her after she posted a picture of her baby son sleeping.

The former Casualty and Hollyoaks star took to Instagram and shared sweet snaps of Thiago, her second child with Strictly Come Dancing pro Gorka Márquez, meeting her friend and Planet Radio co-star Mike Toolan, to her 1.9 million followers.

“When Thiago met Toolan! Tools came round today and he gently leaned over the sleeping beauty to a welcoming sound of a wet fart,” she joked in the comment.

“As usual Tools ate half the contents in the fridge and left with more food boxed up for his tea. Someone’s gotta look after him!”

However, she was hit with responses from concerned fans who were quick to point out an issue with the image, which shows the tot in a brown wicker basket while lying on his front.

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Many commentators chimed in that the safest sleep position for a baby is on their back or side in order to prevent SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome).

A user called @foxyshel begged: “Please put him to sleep on his back to prevent SIDS xxx” (sic)

Another follower using the handle @jode81_ chimed in: “There was a significant reduction in SIDS when the guidelines changed to put baby to sleep on back Vs front since ’90s.

“I fully respect any decision the parent makes (and some babies indeed hate being on their back).

“However the evidence does strongly recommend that babies are placed on their back – and Gemma has a large following so I don’t see an issue with people expressing some concern.”

Another person said: “Oh not sure about babies sleeping on their front, that could be quite dangerous.” And a fourth wrote: “Since they introduced the advice to put babies to sleep on their back, the SIDS rate has dropped by 85 per cent.”

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However Gemma fired back: “He does sleep on his back. He naps on his front a few times throughout the day when I’m sat on the chair next to him. He’s also able to lift and move his head in both directions when on his front. Not my first rodeo with babies.”

For his part Mike was just happy to be there commenting: “Haven’t heard that many farts since you went on maternity. Lovely to see you kid. Thanks for all the food! And and the boxed up stuff! I’ll be back again next week when it runs out x” (sic)

Safe sleep charity Lullaby Trust advises on their website: “The safest sleeping position for a baby is on their back so always place your baby on their back to sleep and not on their front or side.

“Sleeping your baby on their back (known as the supine position) for every sleep, day and night, is one of the most protective actions you can take to ensure your baby is sleeping as safely as possible.

“There is substantial evidence from around the world to show that sleeping your baby on their back at the beginning of every sleep or nap (day and night) significantly reduces the risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).”

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