Social media is full of life hacks. This is particularly true when it comes to parenting hacks. Raising children is no easy feat, so we’re all looking for shortcuts. Content creators know this, and as a result, there is no shortage of examples when it comes to mom hacks.
Some of them are a total waste of time, but some do indeed make our lives easier. And of course, there are those parenting hacks that spark all types of discussion and debate. People will argue about safety, validity, and even whether or not the person who shared it is in their right mind.
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People recently questioned the advice of a mom who often posts things she wished she knew as a first time mom.
TikToker Lisa Flom received a ton of comments when she shared an unconventional way to keep babies in their seats on the airplane. Flom’s entire TikTok is devoted to “Things she wishes she knew as a first time mom.”
In many of the videos, we don’t hear her speak. She just shows parents ways to navigate the common trials of raising children, mainly keeping them safely in one place.
For this travel hack, Flom used adhesive Velcro strips. She placed one side on the base of the airplane seat and the other on her baby's clothes. Then she placed the small child on the seat. Voilà! The kid can lean and explore, but they stay adhered to the seat.
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One user called the hack 'diabolical but effective.'
Immediately, people began discussing the efficacy and the potential pitfalls of such a trick.
“Diabolical but effective,” one user wrote.
“This looks like something that’d work at first until the kids gets frustrated,” another commented.
But there were others who took the hack a little too seriously and criticized Flom for the potential safety issues.
“Or … get this … bring a seat for them,” someone wrote.
Another person commented: “Mom of 4 here. Kid would be safer in a car seat.”
Others worried about how other travelers would be punished by Flom’s hack.
“What about the sticky residue just left for the next passenger?” someone asked.
Another person suggested Flom do something radical. “Please do not stick adhesive to the seat … just watch your child,” the commenter wrote.
“And do you pay the airline to get the residue off the seat or do you scrub them yourself?” someone else asked.
Other users took it as a joke.
But others thought video was satire.
“Dog kennel in the cargo area also works,” one user quipped.
Some parents could see the benefits of implementing this hack in other areas where children run amok. “My kid needs this for meal times,” someone commented.
There’s a good chance this hack was more humorous than anything else. There are actually clear rules about airplane safety for children.
The Federal Aviation Administration has its own safety standards for traveling with children.
You’d be hard-pressed to find a flight attendant that would let a child that young sit in a seat alone, adhesive or not. While most parents fly with young children in their laps, the FAA states that the safest place for a child under 2 is in an approved child restraint system.
“Your arms aren’t capable of holding your in-lap child securely, especially during expected turbulence,” the website reads. Using a car seat means you have to pay for an airplane seat for your child — even if they would otherwise be able to travel for free with most airlines.
“Buying a ticket for your child is the only way to guarantee that you will be able to use a CRS. It’s the smart and right thing to do so that everyone in your family arrives safely at your destination,” the site notes.
