Julia Stiles hits back at mom-shamers who accused her of holding newborn son wrong

Julia Stiles hit back at mom-shamers who accused her of holding her newborn son incorrectly. (Reuters)

Julia Stiles won’t let mom-shamers criticize how she is holding her newborn son.

The 36-year-old actress slammed critics on Instagram Friday after she was accused of “smothering” her newborn son while she was carrying him in a photo she posted a few days earlier. Stiles appeared to be promoting Tula baby carriers.

“It was brought to my attention that in the previous photo I am not holding my baby correctly,” Stiles wrote on Instagram. “Wow, I didn't expect that. What was supposed to be a shout-out of products I like, suddenly becomes an invitation to comment on my baby, and my ability as a mother.”

She continued, “That's the Internet for you, the carnivorous plant from ‘Little Shop of Horrors.’ I was trying to keep much of my son's image private, including, I guess, his little feet. And it was just a photo taken at home, not how I normally carry him around. Thanks for the concern, anyway.”

Stiles concluded by telling mothers to “always read the safety instructions” and calling on Instagram users to have some fun rather than “writing snarky comments” on her and her son.

“Instagrammers: instead of writing snarky comments about a 5-week-old, try dancing around your living room to a Clash record. It's way more fun,” Stiles wrote along with Bob Gruen’s 1981 photo of The Clash in New York City.

Many people criticized Stiles’ Instagram post on Wednesday that was captioned: “I haven't worn a backpack since middle school. Now I have a front pack. #jujube #tulababycarriers.” It showed her using the baby carrier with her son’s face hidden. However, some fans also hit back at critics in the post, congratulating the new mom and telling critics to back off.

Stiles gave birth to her first child, Strummer Newcomb Cook, with Preston Cook in October. She announced the new addition to the family on Instagram in November. The couple got married in a private ceremony in Seattle over Labor Day weekend, E! News reported.