Parents outraged over mum-of-two's bizarre parenting 'hacks'

"When they can’t keep the dummy in their mouths..."

A mum-of-two has sent the internet into a frenzy yet again after sharing another controversial 'parenting hack'.

Lisa Flom regularly shares videos titled "Things I wish I knew as a first-time mum" with her 826k followers, detailing bizarre tips and tricks she's picked up along the way while parenting her baby boy and toddler-aged daughter.

From adding velcro strips to clothing to keep her little ones still on flights to installing a hydration station in her daughter's bed, her clips never fail to raise an eyebrow.

And her latest one is no exception...

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Image: TikTok

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The dummy mask 'hack'

The mum films herself constructing a dummy that won't fall out of her baby's mouth.

She starts by cutting off the straps of a face mask, typically used for COVID, and threading them through the holes in her son's dummy.

After fastening them, she then places the dummy mask over her baby's ears so it sits snugly in his mouth and won't budge.

Lisa insists in the caption that her "baby was supervised while using" the DIY contraption. But that didn't stop commenters from expressing concern for the child. 

The backlash is swift

"A muzzle for a baby. I'm sorry, but what were you thinking?" asked one.

"Absolutely NOT," wrote another.

"This is so disgusting. Anything to get views and likes," a third added.

Someone else asked, "What if she wants to cough or sneeze?" 

"You don’t want to discourage their instinct to spit things out of their mouth; it prevents choking," someone else pointed out."

Not the first time the mum has caused controversy

It comes after the mum devised a 'simple' hack to keep her toddler hydrated throughout the night.

The clip, which now has a whopping 14.7 million views, also has the title "Things I wish I knew as a first-time mum."

She then films her daughter - who looks to be around three - lying in bed, sipping from a glass water dispenser equipped with a metal straw and fastened to the bed's headboard with a zip tie.

The water dispenser is from the brand 'Full Cheeks', which sells products for pet guinea pigs, hamsters and gerbils. 

Stoked with the self-made, completely unsafe contraption, the mum claims: "She always has water when she needs it."

Image: TikTok

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"Treating children like hamsters"

Critics quickly pointed out that this setup is something one might find in a rabbit hutch or hamster cage and made them uncomfortable to see.

"That’s for guinea pigs," one user remarked.

Others added, "OMG, so we are treating children like hamsters," and "Is she a hamster?"

Meanwhile, another asked: "That’s a joke, right? Your child is NOT a rabbit!"

"I have no words," someone else admitted.

Others couldn't help but make jokes like:

• "When you wanted a hamster, but you got a kid"
• "My kids have a litter box"
• "My chinchillas never got that big. Is yours mixed with something? What breed is this?"
• "Buy her a wheel too"

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"She could use a cup"

In addition to concerns about the hack itself, many questioned why more obvious and straightforward approaches weren't used.

"What happened to sippy cups and drink bottles?" one said, while another suggested: "Or just get her a bottle…" 

Someone else chimed in, "Or…or... she could use a cup."

And amongst it all, others couldn't help but wonder, "Why is it yellow?! Isn't it meant to be water?"

We had the same thought ourselves... maybe apple juice?!

To find out more about toddler sleep and safe feeding, visit the Raising Children Network. 

Image: TikTok

More tips from a first-time mum

In another clip, Lisa puts Velcro on her toddler's jumper and the sofa. "Keep your baby in one place #mumhack," she said. 

She then films her child sitting on the sofa they're attached to, smiling and playing with a toy. 

"I just duct taped mine, from head to toe to the wall," read one sarcastic comment.

"I usually just super glue mine to the floor," quipped another. 

"Is this legal?" someone else asked.

Kidspot does not endorse these 'hacks'.

Originally published as Parents outraged over mum-of-two's bizarre parenting 'hacks'