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While the Duggar family has plenty of fans, they have even more critics. John and Abbie Duggar tend to stay out of the spotlight more than a few other Duggar couples. But after they posted a photo of their daughter, Grace, sitting in a plastic tub on a boat, many are uncomfortable with the scenario. Here’s what’s going on.

John David and Abbie Duggar kept their baby safe in a plastic tub

John David and Abbie were over the moon to welcome their little girl, Grace, into the world back in January 2020. And when it comes to having kids, the couple proved they’re going about things a bit differently than Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar. It’s typical for the Duggar women to get pregnant soon after they wed — but John David and Abbie didn’t welcome their little girl into the world until over a year after they wed.

The couple’s not shy about sharing their little girl with Instagram, either. Back in July 2020, they gave their fans a 6-month photo of Grace. “Our little lady is 6 months old today!!!” the captioned the photo. “Time flies when you’re having fun!”

Even more recently, the couple showed Grace is getting her first experience out on a boat. To keep her safe, they adorned her with a life jacket. But they also placed her in a plastic tub. “By air or sea, wherever I’m with thee,” they captioned the post. “It was a great weekend!”

Fans have mixed feelings about the couple’s strategy

It’s clear John David and Abbie think they’re doing the right thing by placing their baby into a container — and perhaps they are. But fans certainly have varying opinions.

“I LOVE your containment system,” one fan commented on the Instagram photo.

“That’s a baby in a bucket!” another noted.

“That baby bucket is ingenious!! Love that!” yet another added. “You guys are an incredibly cute couple!”

As for the negative opinions, many Duggar family critics took to Reddit to critique John David and Abbie’s system.

“And enough with the flying references WE GET IT YOU ARE A ‘PILOT’ now become a lifeguard so if the boat capsizes you can rescue your daughter from an upside-down plastic box,” a Reddit user noted.

“The biggest issue I have with it is that it appears to be sitting on top of those rails instead of in between them so the plastic tub could potentially slide when turning or going over a wave and tip over,” another critiqued.

“So like, as a mom, I would have held my kid for the selfie,” another added. “I don’t understand why she is so far away from her parents. On a boat.”

John David and Abbie aren’t the only Duggars who do this

It looks like Kendra and Joseph Duggar had a similar idea as John David and Abbie. Kendra and Joe posted photos from their boating adventure with Kendra’s family on Aug. 10. While their daughter isn’t in the same type of plastic tote, she’s sitting inside of a plastic laundry basket instead.

There’s one major difference between Joseph and Kendra’s baby’s setup and John David and Abbie’s though. John David and Abbie have a life jacket on their child — and Joe and Kendra do not. Fans were quick to criticize Joe and Kendra for being unsafe with their child while they’re out having fun, too.

It looks like plenty of Duggars are taking to the water with their children to enjoy quality family time together. We’ll keep an eye on the rest of Jim Bob and Michelle’s adult kids to see if they employ similar strategies.

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