'Leave poor Megan McKenna alone' over parenting decision, blasts behaviour expert
Everyone has their own style of parenting. Whether it's how to tackle nap times and feeds, or what age to start your child in nursery, there are many pros and cons to each situation, and the decision comes down to individual choice.
When you're in the public eye, however, it's not as easy as that - as TOWIE star Megan McKenna knows all too well. The 32-year-old and her ex-Celtic player fiancé Oliver Burke welcomed their son Landon into the world in October.
Since then, Megan has shared the ups and downs of being a first-time mum with her millions of online followers. This week, she embarked on the self-soothing journey with little Landon - trying to get him to nap on his own.
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"I'm no pro and still learning," Megan wrote in a TikTok video on Sunday. "But he's four months and I need to get him to self soothe before it's too late... keep going in and checking but sticking to keeping him in his crib."
The former Celebrity Big Brother contestant could not have anticipated the reaction her post received - garnering over two million views and a whopping 6,000 comments.
One comment read: "No, please don't leave him to cry. He's a baby. They need lots of cuddles at this stage," while another said: "He's gone to sleep upset and sad."
A third pleaded: "This makes me so sad. Please, please just enjoy the baby stage. Enjoy the sleepy, snuggly contact naps and cuddles because it's so fleeting. He will never be this little again..."
Megan hit back at critics, explaining Landon has struggled with a reflux since he was born and therefore has never wanted to be put down. She also insisted sleep therapists advise self-soothing.
Following the backlash, a leading UK coach and behaviour expert, Joe Emerson, made a video responding to the uproar over Megan's parenting skills. "I'm really disturbed by the way people are piling on Megan McKenna for allowing her baby boy to self soothe and get himself to sleep," Jo explained in the clip.
"I've watched the video and I'm going to say this. Firstly, he is clearly a beautifully cared for little boy who is clearly adored by his mum. She is keeping him clean, well fed, warm and cuddled.
"She is his safe place which is absolutely normal... however she also has to be able to have a shower, put a wash on, write an email, get dressed, make some food, and she really can't do that with a baby constantly attached to her."
She went on: "She's made the decision that he is ready to start trying to fall asleep on his own which is a gift she's giving him - to be able to fall asleep alone knowing that a safe pair of hands will be there to give you a big cuddle and a feed when you wake up... She didn't abandon him - she was right there, on hand, checking him."
Finishing her rant, she fumed: "When will we learn to stop telling other mothers how to raise their children? Some people disagree with teaching babies how to self soothe. Great - that is your decision for your baby.
"Others realised quite early on that their baby... might need to go down for an hour or so in the day unattended. That is also your decision for your family. I think we should all leave poor Megan alone. Becoming a mother is hard enough and emotional enough as it is without other people wading in with their perfectionistic opinions."
Megan couldn't hold back her emotion as she commented: "Thank you so much for this. You explained it perfectly."
Self-soothing is a baby's ability to calm themselves down and fall asleep without needing to be rocked, cuddled, or shushed. It's a natural skill that helps babies regulate their emotions. Babies can start self-soothing between three months and one year old.
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