Britney Spears tripped outside a Manhattan hotel, nearly dropping her 8-month-old baby and adding to the media’s scrutiny of her parenting abilities. The 24-year-old pop diva is seen departing The Ritz-Carlton hotel with Sean Preston in one hand and a drink in the other in images splashed across the front page and inside the New York Post on Friday.

Credit: chinadaily.com.cn

Witnesses said that as she proceeded to her car, her pants became tangled in her open-toed shoes as she attempted to step over a pothole.

With the aid of a security who reacted swiftly, Spears was able to maintain her balance and latch on to her baby.

Britney was believed to be upset by the mishap and broke down in tears.

“This is why I need a gun,” Spears remarked after the event.

The baby wobble was the most recent public issue regarding Spears’ child’s safety. She was spotted earlier this week traveling with Sean Preston in a car seat facing forward rather than backward, as some safety rules recommend.

When he was six months old and being cared for by a nanny, he also fell from a broken high chair.

Authorities went to Spears’ house in February after photographs surfaced showing the singer driving with her youngster in her lap instead of in a car seat in the rear seat. She initially blamed paparazzi pursuits, but subsequently admitted it was a “mistake.”

Britney Spears ‘taking a break’ from Instagram after engagement

CREDIT: ISAAC BREKKEN/GETTY IMAGES

Britney Spears has stated she is “taking a break” from social media following her engagement to Sam Asghari.

On Tuesday, the pop star appeared to deactivate her account on the photo-sharing social media platform, but she quickly tweeted to reassure followers.

In a tweet, she wrote,“Don’t worry folks … just taking a little break from social media to celebrate my engagement!!!! I’ll be back soon,” she wrote, adding wink and ring emojis.

Spears’ Instagram account has long been a point of contention in the court struggle over her conservatorship, which she was placed under in 2008. Jamie Spears, her father, was put in control of her money, healthcare, and other key choices under the arrangement, which is normally designated for the elderly or infirm. Spears has called the conservatorship “abusive,” and she recently testified in front of a judge concerning her father’s removal from the position.

Concerns about her mental health led to her being placed under conservatorship in 2008.

The singer spoke out about her newfound independence in one of her final postings on the social networking site before it went dark, sharing an article titled “Infusing education with heart.”

“Growing up in a world where basically almost everything I did was controlled by someone else… I hope this message gets to people who have been confused or manipulated by a system !!!!” Spears said in her comment, which was confirmed by EW before the singer’s Instagram was removed, accompanying a screenshot of the story on the post.

“No … you’re not alone and no … you’re not crazy !!!!,” she continued. “People need to hear this before it’s TOO LATE !!!! I’ve waited 13 year and counting for my freedom !!!!!”

She also expressed gratitude to the Free Britney movement, a fan-led push to get her removed from conservatorship.

“She’s happy and in a great place,” a source close to Britney recently told Page Six, “and silence can be a powerful thing and a powerful message.”

Last week, the pop singer announced her engagement to longtime boyfriend and personal trainer Sam Asghari on Instagram, with a video showing off her Roman Malayev-designed engagement ring. Her father, Jamie Spears, filed a petition to remove his daughter’s conservatorship the same week she got engaged.

Britney’s ex-husband Jason Alexander wished her well after learning of her engagement. “I’m always going to love her,” Alexander told Inside Edition. “If she’s happy with Sam and that’s going to happen, I’m happy for her.” They’ve known one other since they were children and married in a hasty wedding that lasted only two days.