Parents are obsessed with this mum’s Christmas hack to stop children having tantrums over toys

2 December 2019, 13:18 | Updated: 5 December 2019, 16:59

One mum has come to the rescue this Christmas
One mum has come to the rescue this Christmas. Picture: Getty
Alice Dear

By Alice Dear

This ‘Santa picture’ hack has been hailed the “most amazing parenting hack ever”, and we can’t help but agree.

One mum has worked out how to keep your children content during the lead up to Christmas.

Many parents will find this time of year, as their children know Christmas is coming up, their little ones end up asking for more toys during shopping trips – and, of course, have tantrums when they don’t get what they want.

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However, Kristina Watts from Washington has come to the aide of parents all over the world as she shares a genius hack to keep her kids quiet until the big day.

The hack sees the mum pretending to send a picture of the toy to Santa
The hack sees the mum pretending to send a picture of the toy to Santa. Picture: Getty

Writing on her Facebook page, Kristina shared that when her daughter sees something in the shops she likes the look of, instead of telling her “no” and suffering the tantrum, she instead takes a picture of her daughter with the toy and says she’s sending it to Santa via text so he knows what she wants for Christmas.

The mother wrote on Facebook: “Our trips to the store used to be a lot more painful this time of year. Toys are out in full force...and of course my kids WANT IT ALL.

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“Obviously I would love to have sweet, well mannered, non-greedy, chill kids, that don’t ask for all the things...but I don’t. So drop your judgement Karen, and stop reading if you have kids like that.

“Now...if you have kids like mine...that want the shiny amazing things that fill Target, the grocery store, Office Depot, the gas station, and pretty much everywhere you go this time of year, this is for you.”

The mum says the hack always works on her children
The mum says the hack always works on her children. Picture: Getty

She continues to advise: “Pause for a second, comment on the thing they’re pointing out, and say, ‘Let’s take a picture with it and send it to Santa so he knows you want it!’”

She tells her friends that you can send the picture to whoever, maybe a friend or family member who is in on the hack.

Kristina says that after she uses the hack, her daughter “magically” puts the toy down and walks again with “no tears and no tantrums, from either of them”, and she forgets about the toy almost instantly.

The post has become extremely popular with parents, and has been shared a massive 51,000 times on Facebook, with 15,000 comments.

One mum commented on the post: “What an excellent idea”, while another added: “Been doing this and definitely works!”

Another posted: “Such a smart idea! Thanks!”

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