Brad Pitt has been criticized for riding his bike with a helpless baby Zahara in a child carrier on his back and without a helmet. Maddox was wearing a helmet, though. Maybe child safety devices are hard to come by in Africa
Spears, who has been blasted for putting her baby, Sean, at risk during recent car trips, has some company now that safety watchdogs are nipping at Pitt.
Thursday, the actor went out for a bicyle ride in Langstrand, Namibia, with son Maddox Pitt-Jolie, 4, and daughter Zahara Pitt-Jolie, 16 months.
Maddox, who wore a helmet, peddled a tricyle. Zahara, who did not, rode in a blue papoose strapped to Brad’s back. That’s a no-no, according Debra Smiley Holtzman, author of “The Safe Baby.”
“[Zahara] needs a helmet and closed-toe shoes,” Holtzman tells Us Weekly, which features photos of the outing in its new issue. “And I highly recommend toddlers ride in a child trailer pulled by a bike. It’s more stable and secure.”
Baby Talk senior editor Christina Vercelletto agreed.
Makers of the baby-pack “specifically say, ‘Do not use while riding a bike,'” Vercelletto told us. “[It] will affect your balance. The safest place for her would be in a toddler bike seat.”
I have a safety seat for my kid on the back of my bike and he always wears a helmet. The thing is, he hates shoes and sometimes I let him ride barefoot. Maybe if I was famous someone more qualified than my nosy neighbor would point out my mistake.
Celebrities know more about the vaguaries of what’s popular in expensive jeans and giant leather handbags than common things like childcare. Rear-facing child seats, helmets and properly installed seats on bikes – all this seems like common sense to us laypeople.
Maybe celebrities will start hiring baby experts for advice on how to keep their children safe and avoid public relations disasters. This reminds me of an episode of the Simpsons where Homer started a “Wee Care” baby proofing business. There seems to be quite a market for that type of service in Hollywood.
Simpsons pictures [via]
Brad Pitt pictures [via]
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