“Surely a baby can’t do that”: Fitness guru stuns fans
British fitness coach has left fans shocked after posting a photo of his seven-month-old hanging from a pull-up bar.
The fitness guru, and founder of the popular fitness app The Body Coach, posted a series of sweet snaps to his Instagram of a recent family holiday to California, USA.
The photo has gained a lot of traction online among his 4.6 million followers.
The image shows baby Leny dressed in a white onesie dangling from a tall monkey bar at the beach while Wicks looks on proudly.
Many followers were concerned about Leni, calling out the dad-of-three for such a “risky” pose.
"Jesus, is the first pic photoshopped?" wrote one follower.
"How is the first pic even possible?!" asked another. "Surely a baby can't do that?”
Another added, ”Is that safe for her shoulders and joints to hang onto bars supporting her own weight like that?
"Please don't do that to your baby. She would be frightened," wrote a fourth, sparking a debate in the comment section.
"She doesn't look fine to me and a lot of people agree. This is cruel and would instinctually cause fear in the baby. If you think that's OK you are a cruel person.”
Some were impressed by the “super baby”, taken back by her strength for her age and defended Wicks against his critics.
"That first picture of Leni is amazing! You need to recreate that every year!" wrote one follower. "I love how you let them take risks.”
"Your kids have iron man genes," another added. "Wow Leni is strong holding on to the monkey bars, that's brilliant.”
Those that came to the dad’s defence reminded critics that the baby would not have been there for long.
"My babies/toddlers could all do this when they were young. It was only for a few seconds. We were there ready to catch them," one said.
"It is called the palmar grasp reflex and it is normal for babies," wrote another.
A child gymnastics company, Little Gym UK also came to the dad’s defence, saying, "For those questioning if it's photoshopped, our classes start at four months and babies can absolutely grasp and hang this little.”
While it’s no myth newborns do have a grasp reflex and the grip is often “strong enough to hold the baby’s entire weight”, experts do not advise picking up or swinging a toddler by their arms as it can lead to a common injury called Nursemaid’s elbow.
Wicks has two other children with his wife Rosie, Indie, four, and Marley, three.
Image credit: Instagram