Ryan Reynolds under fire for way he carries baby

Proud dad Ryan Reynolds poses with baby daughter James. Photo / Instagram, BlakeLively

Actor Ryan Reynolds has copped flak from parenting groups for the way he has been captured carrying baby daughter, James.

In celebration of Father's Day in the US, Reynolds wife, Blake Lively, posted the picture of the proud new father smiling by the sea with his six-month-old daughter strapped to his front in a baby carrier. The filtered image was posted to Instagram scoring over 337,000 likes and nearly 7,500 comments.

However, the way the Canadian dad is carrying the infant is incorrect and potentially harmful, parenting experts say. The baby's feet are dangling out of the bottom of the carrier and her head is obscured.

Parenting blog, The Stir, explained that when a "baby's feet are pushed together in a carrier, it increases the risk of hip dysplasia, as their little hips are basically pushed out of their sockets".

Instead, they say "doctors recommend that baby carriers 'support the thigh and allow the legs to spread to keep the hip in a stable position'."

"The other thing going wrong here is that James' head seems to be completely obscured," The Stir goes on.

"Babywearers always want to make sure they can see their infant's face, and keep their airways clear."

Comments on social media have been harsh: "Poor baby looks so uncomfortable and unsafe; Please have hot hubby read the instruction manual; Please read your baby product manuals with as much detail as you read a script."

But, as The Stir pointed out, this is a parenting faux pas which occurs every day and it's great to see baby James getting bonding time with dad. Ideally, all the online discussion will prompt parents to think twice about how they're using their carrier.

It's not the first time famous parents have received online backlash - Kim Kardashian was told off in March after uploading a picture of her daughter North wearing a pearl necklace while she slept and Prince William got schooled in 2013 for the way he secured Prince George in a car seat as he drove the newborn home from the hospital.

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- nzherald.co.nz