Fans criticise actress Jenny Mollen for joke 'swaddling tutorial'

Actress Jenny Mollen has come under fire from fans who were upset by a 'swaddling tutorial' she posted to her Instagram account.

The mum-of-two, who is married to American Pie star and well-known for her humourous approach to social media, shared a selection of four images of her baby son Lazlo, jokily showing how she'd struggled to wrap him up in the fabric.

Whilst some of her 262k followers related to the challenge, and were quick to call the picture series 'funny' and 'hilarious', others slammed Jenny for how 'uncomfortable' her young son looked, with more than one going as far as to describe the snaps as 'abuse'.

'What's so funny about making a baby uncomfortable and cry for kicks? Nothing funny about it. Made me sad for the baby...period,' one wrote, whilst a second agreed: 'The child is obviously upset and looks very uncomfortable with little neck support...not very comedic'.

'Maybe you should care more about your child's wellbeing rather than your Instagram post,' one advised.

'Um how is that funny in any way ? That's a fragile little human being. His/her bones are not connected fully yet, their neck needs constant support, it's cranial bones are not sutured yet and it's very dangerous for the head to be facing down like this,' another concerned observer commented. 'And either ways, the baby looks really upset and that alone should be enough for a mother to stop trying to be funny on social media.'

Jenny herself has yet to respond to the remarks, but may of her supporters have hit back at the criticism, insisting that she's simply offering a lighthearted snapshot at 'real parenting'.

'The negative comments must be coming from absolutely perfect parents who never screw up, who's kids eat all their vegetables, use their manners, and who never get in trouble 🙄' said one. 'FFS, it's funny. It's real parenting. Get over yourselves, you negative people. #teamjenny.'

'This is so on point. I could never swaddle my children,' another wrote in defence of the star. 'No I never hurt them during the process. I cried more than they did. Jenny is probably covering her face because she is crying harder than baby. I admire her for being so open about it. People rarely admit fails when it comes to their children because of the crazy people that think these episodes will cause permanent harm or turn the child into a wolf or something. Thanks for sharing Jenny. It made my day. Your baby is precious. 👏🏻'

The Lullaby Trust, a charity which raises awareness of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) and provides expert advice on safer sleep for babies, does not advise for or against swaddling, but recommends that parents follow these guidelines if they do choose to swaddle their babies.

• Use thin materials
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• Do not swaddle above the shoulders
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• Never put a swaddled baby to sleep on their front
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• Do not swaddle too tight
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• Check the baby's temperature to ensure they do not get too hot