The 7 times Molly-Mae’s been mum-shamed & she’s hit back, from car seat ‘police’ to mum army savaging sockless Bambi
WITH a gorgeous baby daughter, a huge diamond on her finger and £6m in the bank, Molly-Mae Hague is a woman who quite literally has it all - at just 24.
But being in the spotlight and having millions of followers on social media has its downsides as she often gets slammed for her parenting decisions.
The former Love Islander - who is engaged to Tommy Fury, 24, and welcomed baby Bambi in January - attracts cruel criticism, even recently admitting that comments regarding her post-baby body "cut deep."
And the comments can be harsh.
Here, we look at how Molly has been targeted by trolls and mum-shamed on social media - while parenting pro Kirsty Ketley shares her thoughts on the ridicule.
Name shame frenzy
Choosing a baby name is a deeply personal decision, and when Molly-Mae and Tommy announced their cherished daughter's name was Bambi, the reaction was frenzied.
The new mum even had to remove comments from her Instagram announcement, while one person posted: "I love Molly-Mae but… calling your daughter BAMBI??!" while another declared it was "not a good name for a human."
Molly later said the reaction came as a brutal reminder of "how nasty this world can be".
Kirsty says: "Everyone always has an opinion on what parents call their baby and really, the only opinion that matters is that of the parents.
"The constant picking apart of baby names, adds another pressure to new parents to 'get it right'."
Most read in Fabulous
Car seat criticism
The wave of comments and criticism began as soon as Molly-Mae and Tommy brought their daughter home for the first time.
In a sweet video, Molly is seen carrying the tot out of the stationary car in her arms – rather than leaving her in the car seat and carrying her in.
While there is no issue with this, one person remarked: “Sorry to be baby police but you should have carried Bambi in the car seat.”
A month later, Molly-Mae was then mum-shamed for having baby Bambi in her arms in the back of a black cab.
Fans were quick to react, demanding she put the baby in a car seat - even though the law doesn't technically require one.
According to the government website, in a licensed taxi/private hire vehicle, if the driver doesn’t provide the correct child car seat, children can travel without one - but only if they travel on a rear seat and wear an adult seat belt if they’re three or older.
Kirsty says: "This is always an emotive topic, because the law states that you can take a baby in the back of a cab with no seat belt.
"Black cabs are able to carry an unfolded pushchair though, often the cab driver will secure the pushchair with its break on, with the straps used for wheelchair users.
"This would be a safer option, if you have no car seat."
'She's not an accessory'
Fans were also quick to comment when Molly-Mae posted a selfie in front of her baby's lavish wardrobe and showed off Bambi's impressive clothing collection - including £300 Gucci shoes.
One commented: "Bambi's wardrobe is more expensive than my house," while another said: "Bambi has a better wardrobe than everyone else already and she's barely a month old."
However, while many were impressed, others weren't and accused the star of showing off - commenting that her daughter was 'not an accessory'.
Decorating the nursery
Even Tommy and Molly-Mae's choice of decor for their baby's nursery didn't escape criticism.
Shamers took exception to the monochrome colour scheme the pair have gone for in their nursery - going as far as to say it was impractical and even bad for Bambi.
"Babies crave colour for intellectual growth. Hopefully Molly-Mae has tons of bleach on hand either way," wrote one.
Implying the colour scheme was a 'selfish choice', another wrote: "It is sad that instagram aesthetics are more important to Molly than her child's development.
"Kids need colour!"
Kirsty says: "I have been into many nurseries while working as a nanny and they have all varied in how they have looked, from neutral and minimalist like Bambi's room, to very bright and busy.
"Black and white and high-contrast colours are fab for a baby's early development. However, does a nursery have to have all that? No.
"As long as there are toys in the home which support development, Bambi will be just fine."
Feeding routine
An area that often draws a lot of attention is feeding, and when Molly-Mae opened up on her routine when Bambi was 10 weeks old, the floodgates opened when it came to comments.
In a video, Molly-Mae explained: "7pm is when bedtime starts and then she has a bottle at 11pm and after 11pm that's when we try to get our night's sleep, which at the minute is going a lot better.
"We are definitely getting more sleep now - I say more sleep - at the minute I am probably getting about four or five hours.
"She's going from 11pm to 7am with no milk but she is waking up all though the night and I settle her.
"She is waking up like 'oh I want some milk' and I'm like 'you're not having milk now.'
"Around this time is when they stop feeding in the night and with her we are trying to encourage that."
One took to the comments section of the YouTube video and wrote: "You are doing amazing but 10 weeks is too early to not feed her during the night if she’s waking up hungry."
A second raged: "It is NOT an accomplishment to starve a 10 week old from 11 pm to 7 am. I am horrified. Seek knowledge please, this is child neglect."
Feeding is always an area where parents get a lot of stick
Kirsty Ketley - parenting expert
Kirsty says: "Ultimately, as long as your baby is thriving and content, how you feed your baby is up to you, and I am sure that Molly-Mae has had professional input to help guide her.
"Feeding is always an area where parents get a lot of stick."
Out in the cold
Even the seemingly harmless decision to go for coffee with the little one and sitting in an outside area, has put Molly-Mae under scrutiny.
Molly captioned the post: "Coffee date with a little garden gnome."
Bambi could be seen resting on her mum’s knee in a brown knitted outfit, while Molly donned jeans and an oversized jacket.
Followers complained that Bambi should be wearing a snowsuit in cold weather.
Kirsty says: "Fresh air is good for baby and mum, and as long as your baby is dressed appropriately, being outdoors is totally fine.
"In fact, it's a great sensory experience for them - the smells, sounds, sights...seeing other people and babies, and napping outdoors can be really beneficial too.
"It has been found that an outdoor nap can lead to happier children.
"From a new mum's perspective, getting out the house is a great mental health tool too."
'Maybe I did forget to put socks on her'
Most recently, when the mum-of-one took eight-month-old Bambi out for a coffee, she posted a cute snap together.
Sadly, probably knowing full well the comments she was likely to receive about Bambi's bare feet, she instantly felt like she needed to share an explanation.
She wrote on Instagram: "Can’t wait for my favourite season with you baby girl…. maybe I did forget to put socks on her today. (also this hot choc went flying 10 seconds later and destroyed my Uggs)."
Thankfully plenty of fans jumped to her defence, with one commenting: "The fact she has to justify Bambi not having socks on is sad, as she knows the trolls will come out with all the: “her feet will be freezing” blah blah blah!"
Kirsty says: "Did she forget, or, like the rest of us have experienced, were the socks kicked off?
Read More on The US Sun
"I don't know any parent who has a baby with complete pairs of socks!
"There are things you can buy to keep your babies socks on (Sock-ons), though, if that's a problem."
