Mum-of-two put kids in cardboard box so she could have some alone time

Fiona Frawley

side by side images of a woman looking at camera and a cardboard box

Some have labelled it ‘genius’

A mum-of-two has divided opinions after putting her children in a box so she can have some peace and quiet and get jobs done.

Gabrielle Dunn posted a video on TikTok showing what she described as the ‘ultimate mum hack’, placing her toddler and baby in a cardboard box with their crayons.

She then demonstrates all the jobs and activities she can do while they are contained in the box, such as vacuuming in peace.

“Glad we didn’t break down that box yet,” she said, as she enjoyed a few minutes of productivity without having to worry about what her two girls were up to.

Her video has been viewed over 10.3 million times and has nearly 9000 comments.

@mrs.gabidunn #stitch with @abbyfranco6 PURE GENIUS. Glad we hadn’t broken the box down yet!! #toddlermom #babysitter #nanny #mom #momlife #momsoftiktok #cleantok #toddlerhack #parentingtips #parenthack ♬ Gangsta’s Paradise (feat. L.V.) – Coolio

Many were full of praise for the idea.

“Love this, you are thinking inside the box,” one mum said.

“Honestly, parents are genius,” added another.

According to someone else, this trick also works with pets.

“It works the same for cats and children!!! If it fits, it sits!!!” the TikToker joked.

But whilst some think Gabrielle is a genius for this, others said it’s lazy parenting.

“When they get bored and break out and use those crayons on the walls just remember it was your fault,” one woman said.

“My mother used to just get us giant boxes as kids. I lived in a fridge box for weeks.”

“This just reinforces that it is okay to draw on walls,” one sad said.

“Don’t they have a bedroom to play in?” questioned another.

Another mum said that her boys would also “get bored and start wrestling and pulling each other around” the box.

Gabrielle admitted she had got the idea from another TikTok mum, Abby Franco, who claimed the hack gave her “30 minutes of cleaning time” whenever she did it.

“I like to work smarter, not harder,” she said.

@abbyfranco6 Work smart not hard ? #momoftiktok #hacks ♬ Gangsta’s Paradise (feat. L.V.) – Coolio

Meanwhile, others revealed similar life hacks that their own parents had used.

“We did this when we got out bathroom vanity. It was great for five days and then the box was too big for the house,” another said.

And this person reflected on their childhood: “My mother used to just get us giant boxes as kids. I lived in a fridge box for weeks.”

And someone also shared: “My dad used to get boxes from an appliance store and he made a supermarket with one and a checkout stand with another one. We had so much fun!!”

This article originally appeared on joe.co.uk