Kim Kardashian Slammed By Parenting Expert: North Is An ‘Accessory Baby’

Kim Kardashian has done many questionable things — remember the time she tried to “break the internet“? — but now her parenting is being slammed by a parenting expert who says the reality TV star is using daughter North West as an “accessory.”

Alison Edwards is a senior lecturer in Midwifery at Birmingham City University. Among her qualifications, Edwards is a registered general nurse and registered midwife, with a diploma in Women’s Health as well as a Master’s degree in Health Studies. She also has a number of publications to her name. In addition to that, she is considered a “trained media champion,” meaning that she is on the university’s dedicated team of people who deal with the media.

After Kim Kardashian posted a picture that some found disturbing — that of a sleeping North West with her neck wreathed with a strand of pearls — Edwards reached out to Radar Online to express her concerns about Kim Kardashian’s parenting abilities.

“In my opinion it probably wasn’t the most sensible thing to do because that baby could have swallowed one of the beads or got herself entwined in the thread and caused her to choke,” Edwards said of the picture of sleeping North.

Edwards was adamant in her view that letting a child sleep with a strand of pearls around her neck was not the best parenting move Kim has ever made.

“If you’re putting your baby in harm’s way, that isn’t sensible.”

In fact, Edwards takes her claims beyond just the photograph of North, saying, “Kim is being so irresponsible as a parent.”

Although Edwards, who has admittedly never worked with Kim Kardashian, says that Kim clearly loves her daughter, she questions many of her decisions.

“She clearly loves her child. I don’t think that is a question. And she’s entitled to bring her child up how she wants to.”

However, love will only get a baby so far, and Edwards claims that Kardashian is “treating her child like an accessory baby.”

“You have to have a genuine reason to want to have a baby. They are more than just an accessory because a baby is a lifetime commitment. A baby is going to require your help and support for the rest of her life.”

Edwards’ concern seems to go deeper than just how Kardashian is raising North West — she seems to be expressing her concern over Kim’s parenting style because Kim is highly visible in the public eye, and so she feels as if Kim has a responsibility.

“She’s such a key figure in the celebrity world that people will try and emulate what she does and that may not be so sensible,” Edwards explained.

However, photo of baby with pearls aside, Kardashian and husband Kanye West seemed to have North’s best interest at heart when they turned down a huge sum of money in return for making North “off limits” when it comes to filming for this season of Keeping Up with the Kardashians.

To see the photo of North West that caused so much concern, click here, and tell us — what do you think? Is Kim Kardashian using North as the ultimate fashion accessory? Or is she being unfairly criticized for her parenting decisions simply because of her celebrity status?

[Photo by Pascal Le Segretain / Getty Images]