Parents under pressure after high-altitude trips with son aged 3

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From Hoh Xil, a remote nature reserve on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau with an average altitude of over 4,600 meters, to the Chola Mountain in southwest China's Sichuan Province, which towers some 6,000 meters above sea level, Doudou has already been to physically-challenging places that most people spend a lifetime preparing for – a fascinating feat for a boy who is only three years old.

Photo via Chongqing Morning Post

His snowy escapades have triggered fiery reactions from users of WeChat, China's most popular instant messaging application, who turned the heat on the boy's parents, Li Guoqing and Yu Jing, accusing them of being cold-hearted and questioning their parenting skills.

The parents on Wednesday broke their silence and responded to the blistering criticism that has been fired at them, saying that all the trips were safe and help instill a sense of independence in their child.

Photo via Chongqing Evening Post

Li, the father, told Chongqing Morning Post that they have been taking their son, nicknamed Doudou, on their travels since he was only three-month-old.

“People doubted we take our son’s safety into consideration,” Yu, the mother, told Chongqing Evening Post.

“We are his parents and we won’t risk our son’s life,” she insisted.

“We were worried about Doudou’s health before going to the (Qinghai-Tibet) plateau, because we previously heard that children and elderly people cannot go to this region."

Photo via Chongqing Evening Post

But all worries dissolved "after a friend of mine brought her child to the Tibet Autonomous Region, and the child did not feel uncomfortable,” Yu added

The mother said they did their homework and researched health hazards before their journey to the elevated plateau.

Lack of oxygen in high altitudes leads to mountain sickness (also known as altitude sickness), a condition characterized by light-headedness, difficulty in breathing, nausea or vomiting, headache and overall fatigue.

Photo via Chongqing Evening Post

The mother said she believes young children have a strong ability to adapt to harsh environments, and noted that staying close to nature can enhance children’s immune system.

Deng Yangjia, a doctor from Chongqing Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital told the Chongqing Evening Post that altitude sickness depends on a person's physical fitness, and age does not factor in. However, Deng pointed out that kids suffering from respiratory diseases are not eligible for trips to high mountains.

It is not the first time that parents' traveling tendencies – as part of unusual early education methods – have attracted public attention.

On January this year, a four-year-old girl nicknamed Wenwen from southeast China’s Jiangxi Province was named the youngest backpacker in China, having crossed half of the country's surface with her parents.