Furious Chloe Madeley, the daughter of broadcasters Richard Madeley and Judy Finnigan, has hit back at "mum-shamers" after social media exploded when she posted a picture of her family. The image showed Chloe and husband James Haskell with their six-month old daughter Bodhi.
In the picture, which has since been deleted, the family appear in the back of a car, with six-month-old Bodhi sitting on her dad's lap. The 35-year-old mum is sitting at the side of the pair.
However, the snap sparked a fiery row, with Chloe branding some followers "disgusting" mum-shamers. Opening up about her "shock and disgust" at the reaction, Chloe wrote on Instagram: "Women who've never met me or my baby thinking they care more about her than I do never fails to shock and disgust me."
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The exchange which sparked the reaction began with Chloe being asked on social media: "Why isn't your child in a car seat?! How irresponsible." The qualified personal trainer responded: "Because it's a taxi, look it up."
However, according to the Mirror, which reported on the exchange, the Instagram user refused to drop the exchange. They said: "Taxi or not - shame on you."
Chloe then hit back. "Understanding the law is not your forte. Do you think you're more informed than the law?," she told the follower.
Chloe continued: “How dare you insinuate that because we're in a 10-minute taxi ride where legally our child under the age of three sits on our lap, that I'm a bad mother. You are the worst of us women. Go away. Get a grip. Get a life."
Elsewhere in her Instagram story, Chloe said: "Rest assured I don't make a safety conscious decision without first researching it (and getting multiple second opinions from friends and family.) Keep your side of the street clean and don't worry about mine," she concluded.
When a child can travel without a car seat
According to information on the Government's website, a child aged three or older can travel in a back seat without a child car seat and without a seat belt if the vehicle doesn't have one.
In most cases, children under three must always be in a child car seat.
The rules are different if:
- the child is in a taxi or minicab
- the child is in a minibus, coach or van
- the child is on an unexpected journey, for example an emergency
- there's no room for another car seat
Taxis and minicabs (private hire vehicles)
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
- without a seat belt if they're under three
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