Joy-Anna Duggar is coming under fire again after sharing a video of a fun day of birthday celebrations for her son, 5-year-old Gideon. Joy-Anna, who is pregnant, has been accused of putting her unborn baby at risk during a moment she documented for her son’s birthday.
Joy-Anna shared a video of the family celebrating Gideon’s fifth birthday.
In a 15-minute-long video posted to the family’s YouTube channel, Joy-Anna and her husband, Austin Forsyth, started by singing to Gideon who was sitting in front of his cake along with his sister, 2-year-old Evelyn.
The video then goes back in time a bit, showing the kiddos baking the birthday cake with Joy-Anna the day before. Joy-Anna shares that it’s part of their yearly traditions to have the kids help bake their birthday cake, and this year Gideon chose a tractor-themed cake.
The video then kicks into the party where loads of people gather to celebrate Gideon.
Fans took to the YouTube video to leave their good wishes for Gideon and some kind words for Joy-Anna.
“Have you ever thought about being a cake decorator for some side hustle cash?” one person asked. “That cake is awesome! Happy Birthday, Gideon.”
“Joy, you lucked out when you found Austin,” another person wrote. “He is such a wonderful dad to those kids and a loving husband to you. I can only hope to be as lucky someday.”
“I love your kids exuberance for life!” shared someone else. “They are really happy kids who are well behaved.”
“I love how you are with your children so special really enjoy watching you guys every week,” someone else commented.
Others, however, were more focused on a small section of the video that happened in the car.
After the birthday party celebrating Gideon, the video showed the family climbing into the car to eat at Olive Garden. It’s after their meal that some people are accusing Joy-Anna of risky behavior.
On Reddit, the popular community Duggar Snark shared a screen grab from the video on Gideon’s birthday. There, it was pointed out that it didn’t appear Joy-Anna was wearing a seat belt while their car was in motion, putting her unborn baby at risk.
“I don’t…understand the mentality,” one critic wrote. “It’s a seatbelt. It’s the simplest thing you can possibly do to prevent grievous bodily harm and death. It’s just a seatbelt. Why is it so difficult for them?”
A lot of people chimed in about this section of the video.
“Honestly this does not surprise me,” another person wrote. “You are looking at the imbeciles that leave firearms laying around their house with 2 young children among many other questionable parenting choices.”
“I didn’t think anyone went without seatbelts in the front anymore,” someone else added. “I mean, do they somehow disable that annoying beep that tells you to put it on?”
“I wish they would understand that it doesn't matter if they personally are a careful driver…” another person pointed out.
The criticism and questions kept coming.
“I cannot even fathom getting in a car and not putting on a seat belt. It's like the most natural thing to do at this point," another person commented.
"I put my seat belt on even when I move cars around my driveway," someone else shared. "Not wearing a seat belt feels so disgusting to me."
Others made jokes like, “Their heavy moral values keep them weighed down.”
A few Redditors tried to give some grace, whether deserved or not.
“I'm honestly just glad the kids seem to be properly strapped into their seats,” one person wrote.
“To be fair, there were likely no seatbelts in any of the janky Duggar wagons so Joy probably never saw he own pregnant mother buckled up,” another person added.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, seat belts are important for pregnant women to wear.
It might seem like a challenge or dangerous to wear a seat belt on a pregnant belly, but experts say it’s important to wear them — safely.
“YES — doctors recommend [wearing a seat belt],” the agency's notes. “Buckling up through all stages of your pregnancy is the single most effective action you can take to protect yourself and your unborn child in a crash.”
The lap belt should be “secured below your belly so that it fits snugly across your hips and pelvic bone,” for starters.
For more information on how to safely wear a seat belt while pregnant — and for statistics on why it’s vital — visit the NHTSA website.
Hopefully Joy-Anna was wearing her seat belt safely if the car was in motion. Unfortunately, this isn't the first time critics have worried Joy-Anna's not wearing her belt while driving.
