Meghan King Edmonds Defends Letting Daughter, 3, Take a Melatonin Gummy: 'It Is Completely Safe'
Meghan King Edmonds is speaking out in defense of her parenting skills after the former Real Housewives of Orange County star revealed she let her 3-year-old daughter take a melatonin gummy.
Over the weekend, King Edmonds, 35, shared a selfie, which shows her daughter Aspen sleeping alongside her explaining “This angel found a melatonin gummy in mama’s purse leftover from our flight.”
“That was 2 hours ago,” the Intimate Knowledge podcast co-host added.
Melatonin supplements are typically used when a person has insomnia, or trouble falling asleep and staying asleep.
King Edmonds later released a statement about the incident, telling PEOPLE that she had received criticism over the gummy and wanted to “give a full explanation to this silliness.”
“It was a melatonin gummy for kids, not a sleeping pill and certainly not for an adult,” King Edmonds says. “It is completely safe.”
“Aspen found the one little gummy in a little baggie while rummaging through my purse,” King Edmonds explains. “She asked me if she could have it and since it was nap time I told her ‘Yes.’ In fact, the recommended dosage for this particular brand of melatonin for kids is 2 gummies and I let her have one.”
King Edmonds then went on to clarify that she did not delete the post from her Instagram Story, but instead, it had simply expired.
“I never deleted the post, it stayed on my Instagram Stories for the full 24 hours because nothing wrong or dangerous happened. Aspen was fully supervised by me the entire time and didn’t take the gummy without my express permission. The post was cheekier because it’s Instagram that’s what social media is about: a glimpse into our lives — not usually the full story. But, since the parent police are out in full force, I’ve felt compelled to give a full explanation to this silliness.”
A rep for King Edmonds’ estranged husband Jim Edmonds did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.
King Edmonds and Edmonds share Aspen and 19-month-old twin boys Hart and Hayes.
The Bravo star and her former baseball pro husband split last year after the couple had a “contentious argument” with their nanny Carly Wilson, with whom Edmonds has been accused of having an affair. (Both he and Wilson have denied having a sexual relationship.) Edmonds filed for divorce in October.
Edmonds, 49, has four other children from his previous relationship: two adult daughters, Hayley and Lauren, plus 14-year-old son Landon and daughter Sutton, 11.
During a recent appearance on Nick Viall‘s The Viall Files podcast, King Edmonds opened up about life as a stepmom and whether or not she sees herself having more kids.
“I love kids and I loved being a stepmom, but it’s just a lot of baggage,” she told Viall, 39. “And I hate to call kids baggage, but kids are a lifelong commitment and you didn’t have any input into creating this child and it’s just hard. I’ve been a stepmom — it’s difficult.”
A rep for Edmonds told PEOPLE, “I wonder how Jim’s children feel about being referred to as baggage. What a disgraceful thing to say.”
On the subject of expanding her family, King Edmonds said: “I could totally have another kid and I do love the idea of a nuclear family. However, my kids are a lot of work. They’re young. And I need to get out of the weeds right now.”
“I couldn’t say no, but it’s not something I’m gunning for,” the mom of three added. “I’m looking at my boobs and I’m like, ‘How ’bout a boob job instead?’ Honestly, I’m not making any kind of decisions about anything right now.”
