A mum has been accused of "child neglect" after innocently sharing a picture of her daughter's bedroom on Facebook. The parent, known only as April, uploaded a snap of her little girl's pink bedroom which includes a cupcake-inspired feature wall and unusual bed set-up.
However, she soon faced a barrage of criticism after the picture went viral, with several people slamming her for having the child's mattress on the floor, instead of on a bed frame. In the post, which was originally shared last year and has recently resurfaced online, April explained that she had set up the bedroom in a "Montessori" style.
This means the bed is left on the floor to allow her daughter to move about more freely and use her imagination while playing. She added her youngster doesn't use the mattress very often, as she co-sleeps with her and is only in her room during nap or play time, the Mirror reports.
However, April soon faced accusations of 'neglect', with some saying that she was putting her child's health at risk by having the mattress at floor level, where there may not be sufficient ventilation. One person wrote: "It needs to be on a base, it's a disgusting breeding ground for mould and bacteria."
The mum, who lives in Australia, was stunned by the negative reaction to the post and later shared an update to provide further clarification. She said that the bed was actually on slats and that the bed was used more as a play area by her daughter, who likes building 'cubby houses' with it.
"We are very minimalistic people and use this mattress throughout the day for alternative things," April wrote. "Floor beds are extremely common around the world and just because in the western world it isn’t the norm doesn’t mean it's wrong.
"If you would like to call the department of child services on me for having a completely safe bed for my child, tag me and I will give you my details because this is very clearly not a neglected child’s bedroom. Stop being mean because it literally isn’t affecting me at all, and you are making yourself look silly."
Following the update, several parents rushed to support the mum, with one user commenting: "Absolutely gorgeous room. I often want to put our own mattress on the floor with my first child and have the same Montessori-style bed. You have done a wonderful job."
Another said: "Mumma you don’t need to explain what type of bed your daughter is sleeping on its none of ANYONE’S business - the wall looks great and what’s more important is that you and your daughter like it."
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