A mother who turned her one-year-old son into a social media "influencer" has spoken out after facing backlash for using the toddler as a "tool".

Stacey Woodhams from Brentwood, Essex, runs the Instagram page for her little boy, Ralphie, which has 15,000 followers.

Pictures of the perfect-looking baby can earn the family hundreds of pounds in sponsorships, and the family has managed to accumulate £10,000 worth of freebies including his clothes, bedroom furniture and days out using the account.

She has even banned family members from sharing photographs of Ralphie on social media, in case they interfere with his brand.

However, in return, the 28-year-old has received hate mail and threats from fellow mothers online, who accuse her of using her son as a "tool" and being an unloving mother.

She told The Telegraph that those accusations are not true, adding: "I know everything I do is for Ralphie’s future and genuinely because we love helping others. People are quick to buy anything endorsed by celebrities just because they have a status.