THE mum of a three-year-old boy has accused a Sainsbury's cashier of "gender shaming" her son after he chose a "girls" treat.

Charlotte Houghton took her son Mason to get a Kinder Surprise egg and he chose the pink Frozen themed one over the blue Marvel superhero one.

5 Charlotte Houghton with her son Mason who she says was "gender shamed" by a cashier Credit: SWNS:South West News Service

5 Little Mason prefers the pink eggs as he likes the Frozen characters which are inside Credit: SWNS:South West News Service

She said he loves the characters which come with the Frozen egg, but the cashier in the Anlaby store, near Hull, told him loudly "you've got a girls one".

When she was told Mason prefers the characters, the cashier reportedly said "oh" in a surprised tone and then explained the blue Marvel egg is "the one for boys".

Mrs Houghton, a mother-of-two, said: "I've heard of comments been made to parents before but this was the first time I've personally experienced gender shaming.

"I was really taken aback by it. I then found myself explaining to her.

5 Mum Charlotte said she was embarrassed and found herself explaining why he picked that one Credit: SWNS:South West News Service

"While she was beeping the other items through, I was saying that he likes the Frozen one and he always chooses it because of the figures, so that is what he is getting.

"I was mumbling on because I felt guilty, like I was doing wrong, then I thought 'what am I doing? Why am I trying to explain? It's got nothing to do with her'.

"I'm sure she meant no harm by her comments but I can't understand this divide of boys and girls toys.

"Personally I think we should encourage our children to play with any toys that they want, as long as they're safe."

Mrs Houghton, a location agent from Willerby said she has always encouraged her eldest, Oliver, ten, and Mason to play with toys of their choice.

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She said: "If he had wanted a pram I would have let him have one, it wouldn't make him any less of a boy.

"We've got a kitchen at home and they like playing with the trolleys. I just found it really bizarre that she thought it was OK to comment and say that to my son - it has nothing to do with her.

"If it had been a new mum who was upset by it, it could have really knocked their confidence and made them question themselves."

Mrs Houghton posted it in the Hull Mummy Friends group on Facebook.

She said: "I posted about it to see what other mummies thought. I'd told my husband but he just looked at me blank. That's why I love the group, because you can get good advice from other mums."

5 The Sainsburys Local shop in Anlaby Common where Charlotte felt her son was "gender shamed" Credit: SWNS:South West News Service

5 Kinder Surprise eggs produce pink and blue eggs, but are not gender specific Credit: News Group Newspapers Ltd

A spokeswoman for Ferrero, the Italian company which produces the chocolate eggs said: "The Frozen Kinder Surprise egg is part of the Pink and Blue range, that offers different branded toy ranges in pink or blue coloured eggs.

"The Frozen egg is pink. However, Ferrero doesn't advocate or promote Kinder Pink and Blue as a gender specific product and they are not labelled for girls or boys.

"Kinder Surprise pink and blue eggs help parents navigate the toy ranges on offer and make purchasing decisions based on what is most relevant for their child, as an individual. Feedback from parents shows that they welcome this approach."

A spokeswoman for Sainsbury's said they are investigating the incident, but need to get more information before they can comment properly.

She said: "We would encourage Charlotte to contact us directly so we can get to the bottom of what happened."

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