HGTV’s Home Town stars Erin and Ben Napier are in trouble with the internet parenting police! The creative husband and wife duo were scrutinized by fans for how the crib they used for their two daughters, Helen and Mae Napier, was set up with bumper cushions.
Erin Napier shared an Instagram post on September 1, 2024, featuring a crib that Ben had handmade for their eldest back in 2017. While the post was heart-touching, eagle-eyed fans noticed that the crib was set up with bumper cushions, which are considered a crib hazard. Following the Safe Sleep for Babies Act of 2021, which referred to padding inside a crib as hazardous, the Consumer Product Safety Commission officially banned crib bumpers back in 2023. While the whole concept behind crib bumpers was to prevent babies from slipping out of the crib slats, fans were alarmed due to the potential risks that they possess, which include suffocation and strangulation.
The post had Erin provide a shout-out to her husband for building the crib. It is made of white oak with the top rail sporting a tiny plug of heart pine that came from inside the house. It is not known whether the crib bumpers were used when the girls used to sleep in them, and it’s possible that they were just styled that way for the photo. Erin, who has since limited the comments on the post, ended her caption on a sweet note: “Mae slept in it for the last time last night so here, we can remember it.”
The Crib Holds Immense Emotional Value to Ben and Erin Napier
With Ben and Erin’s daughter Mae Napier finally outgrowing her crib, the parents are feeling a rush of emotions at the sheer pace at which their kids are growing up. Following the post paying homage to the crib, Erin shared a story urging her followers to “pray for Ben” as he comes to terms with these bittersweet changes.
The crib is a symbolic family heirloom, as Ben also shared a carousel post on his Instagram, where he penned a heartfelt message about the history behind the crib alongside its various milestones. The talented woodworker revealed how the moment he found out his wife was expecting, he started drawing out a plan to make the custom oak crib. The girl dad’s post got emotional as he recounted various instances where his daughters slept in it. Ben also shared how nothing will make one realize how fast time flies until you have children.
The father of two also revealed how his daughter Mae has shifted to her “big girl bed,” which is an exquisite antique cherry Jenny Lind. Ben also noted that the crib will eventually have to be stowed away in the following words: “The white oak crib will go into storage until my babies become mamas, then it will be used again.”
You can stream all eight seasons of Home Town on Discovery+.
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