April Love Geary Defends Her Decision to Give Daughter Mia, 16 Months, Flamin' Hot Cheetos
April Love Geary is living by the mantra “We’re here for a good time, not a long time” — even in parenting.
That was the model’s response on Monday to one social-media user who criticized her for allowing her older daughter with fiancé Robin Thicke, 16-month-old Mia Love, to eat Flamin’ Hot Cheetos, as seen in a video posted to her mom’s Instagram feed and another on her Story.
In one clip, captioned “Mondays,” Mia’s mouth is covered in the snack’s signature orange powder as she lounges next to a fully entertained Thicke, grabbing freely from the bag.
The criticizing user in question sent Geary, 24, a direct message containing a link to an article that claimed “snacks like Flamin’ Hot Cheetos send multiple children to the emergency room each year” — prompting the mother of two’s “We’re here for a good time, not a long time” response.
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Another commenter remarked on her actual post that “Those Cheetos are beyond toxic, she’s just a child!” and advised Geary to “go read a parenting book.”
“You’re beyond toxic for my children,” the mother of two clapped back in response.
“She’s so beautiful! Need to stop feed this GMO for your babygirl. ?????♀??????♀??????♀?,” a second user commented, to which a third replied, “In all fairness, at least she let this one live to be born” — a jab at Geary’s decision to have an abortion in 2014.
“Oh boohoo I aborted a fetus years ago that literally did not affect your life in any way,” the star hit back at the latter user.
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In a conversation with PEOPLE last September, pediatrician Dr. Jaime Friedman said she sees “plenty of kids with stomach pain, pain when they poop, constipation — and the common denominator is that they eat the Takis or the Hot Cheetos.”
Frito-Lay, the makers of Flamin’ Hot Cheetos, told PEOPLE in a statement that the product — which was famously invented in 1976 by a janitor at the company — has been cleared as safe to eat.
“At Frito-Lay, we aim to delight our consumers and food safety is always our number one priority. Flamin’ Hot Cheetos meet all applicable food safety regulations, as well as our rigorous quality standards. That said, we realize some consumers may be more sensitive to spicy foods than others and may choose to moderate consumption or avoid spicier snacks due to personal preference.”
Dietitian and member of PEOPLE’s Health Squad Dawn Jackson Blatner believes that the spice, along with the lack of nutrients, is likely causing problems. “They have zero nutrition, are packed with fat and the seasoning is lots of salt, artificial colors and citric acid — all of which may irritate a digestive tract,” she said.
