'She just fed herself': Mum shares hack so your baby can hold its own bottle

Whilst millions saw the clip and loved it, others... tagged a TikTok mortician in the comments over safety concerns.

Image: TikTok

A mum has created a hack so that a baby can more easily feed itself its own bottle.

Mum Ashleigh explains in a TikTok that's been viewed two million times, that she got an Oball - a classic baby toy - and cut a hole in it big enough to fit her daughter's bottle in - effectively giving the bottle easy-grip handles.

Please note: Kidspot recommends you consult with a professional about using this hack with your individual child and always supervise your baby. For advice on bottle feeding best practice, speak to your health professional and see the Raising Children Network site.

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"She can hold the bottle herself"

Ashleigh explains that then she was able to give the bottle to her baby, with the little one holding onto one of the outer sections of the Oball - which kept it upright.

"We've been doing this with our kids since our oldest was six months old," Ashleigh says, adding later that she always supervises her daughter when she's drinking.

"Then she can hold the bottle herself. And she just fed herself, and it was awesome."

The clip attracted much attention, with many praising the hack, such as this viewer who wrote: "Thanks for sharing, this would make it so much easier with my twins!"

And another, who added, "Mums gotta do what we gotta do!"

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"This comment section is full of Karens!"

There was also plenty of negative feedback, with some questioning why Ashleigh wasn't feeding her daughter herself.

"Great grandma here… take the time, rock them, hold them. Whisper to them and tell them what an awesome life is to come," one advised.

"I wish I fed my 1st son more often," another shared.

And a third added, "I did the baby bottle hack all the time and rushed him to grow up. Now I have a 2nd baby and cherish moments."

To which Ashleigh replied: "Definitely appreciate your comment! It goes by really fast! Soaking in the moments when I can, but also being practical when I have to be."

Then there was this comment, "I loved holding my babies and fed them myself, they are young for such a short time."

Ashleigh patiently responded again: "Holding them when they're little is so wonderful! But just a little practical tip for when I absolutely need to put her down."

Viewers tagged a TikTok mortician

Others expressed their safety concerns for the hack by morbidly tagging a popular TikTok mortician.

Because of the negative feedback, Ashleigh also explained in another clip:

"Yes, I do hold her as much as I possibly can. She's only six-months-old and I mean mums are told enough that it goes by so fast. But the reality is, I have two older kids and my partner works away from home.

"He doesn't come home in the evenings, he's away for weeks at a time.

"So I need little solutions like this, and I know that there's other parents that do too. And we try to embrace as much time as we can with our kids, but we also have to be practical, right?"

"You do you!!" one viewer responded. "No need to explain yourself! Everyone needs to do what works for their family and life."

Another added: "You don't need to justify yourself or explain your circumstances, we all do it. People like that clearly haven’t had a child, especially multiple kids!"

Originally published as 'She just fed herself': Mum shares hack so your baby can hold its own bottle