Charlotte Crosby Clarifies ‘Time-Out Cage’ Post After Fans Raise Concerns
Charlotte Crosby has had to clarify a joke about her parenting after a photo of her two young daughters inside a wooden structure sparked concern among followers.
The former Geordie Shore star initially shared a picture of three-year-old Alba-Jean and one-year-old Pixi inside what appeared to be a small wooden cage. She joked that she had “bought a cage for the girls when they need to go in time out.”
The image quickly prompted reactions from followers who believed Charlotte was genuinely using the structure as a punishment space for her children.
Charlotte explains what the ‘cage’ really is
After receiving a wave of messages, Charlotte returned to Instagram Stories to explain that the post had been a joke.
She said the structure was not a child cage, adding that she and her family do not use time-outs as a parenting method.
Instead, the wooden enclosure is a storage space for the girls’ teddy bears and soft toys.
Charlotte explained that she had been inspired by someone else to create the idea, although she could no longer remember who. She also said she and her daughters had built it themselves and described the finished project as “so cute.”
A follow-up photograph appeared to show one of the girls happily surrounded by her stuffed animals. The display was labelled “Our Zoo.”
A glimpse into Charlotte’s plans for the future
The incident came as Charlotte has been sharing more about her family life and her plans for the years ahead.
The reality star recently outlined a five-year plan that includes having another baby, marrying her partner Jake Ankers, travelling with her family, becoming fitter and stronger, taking on two more major television projects and making the most of the current stage of her life.
Charlotte and Jake are already parents to Alba-Jean and Pixi.
The couple became engaged in 2023 after Jake proposed during a romantic rooftop moment in Dubai. They are also hoping to visit their “dream venue” and set a wedding date, with their fifth anniversary approaching later this year.
Charlotte hopes to have another baby
The couple’s plans for another child come after Charlotte experienced a painful miscarriage earlier this year.
Charlotte revealed in May that she had suffered a silent miscarriage after discovering she was pregnant with her third child. An initial scan was inconclusive, leaving her and Jake facing an agonising two-week wait before a later scan confirmed the pregnancy had ended.
Charlotte has since spoken openly about the experience and said she and Jake are trying to conceive again.
She has also discussed how the loss affected her emotionally, while expressing hope that sharing her experience could help other women going through pregnancy loss.
The miscarriage was not Charlotte’s first difficult pregnancy experience. In 2016, she suffered a life-threatening ectopic pregnancy that resulted in the removal of her right fallopian tube and ovary.
Despite those experiences, Charlotte has continued to look ahead, balancing motherhood, her relationship with Jake and her television career.
For now, however, the parenting controversy that briefly erupted online appears to have stemmed from something much more innocent than the original photo suggested: a homemade teddy-bear “zoo,” rather than a time-out cage.