A mom who wanted some extra help around the house got her toddlers involved. In a video shared on Instagram, the mom demonstrated a simple trick that could be used to get toddlers to fold their laundry. Many parents appreciated the parenting hack, but some people called out the mom for giving her toddlers chores in the first place.
The mom used a cardboard box to create a laundry tool for toddlers. In the video, the mom (@the_goddard_fam on Instagram) took pieces of a cardboard box, taped them together, and put numbers on the pieces. A toddler then places a shirt on the pieces. The numbers made it relatively easy for her to figure out where to fold first.
“MOM HACK: to get your toddler to fold their laundry 🧺👦🏽 Get your little one involved to make it fun,” she captioned the post.
Many people loved the idea.
Lots of adults could see the appeal of the cardboard box tool – not just for kids but also for themselves. “As a 19 y.o toddler, i might need this too,” one person commented on the post.
Others shared that they’re not particularly good at folding laundry, which is why they could also benefit from the hack too. “I need this, I am a horrible folder!” a second person wrote.
Some people wondered if the hack might help their husbands or boyfriends. “Will be making this for my boyfriend,” a third person commented. “I’m wondering if this works for husbands too?” another person joked.
Some people, however, accused the mom of relying on child labor.
Several naysayers who commented on the post wondered why toddlers needed to be involved in doing chores, going as far as to label it “child labor.”
“Seriously? The kid has their entire life to be folding laundry,” one person wrote. “Give them some toys, get down on the floor and play with them instead.”
“CHILD LABOR BACK IN!?” a second critic commented. Another person wrote, “Isn’t that child labor or is that how he covers his rent ?”
But others pointed out that toddlers often enjoy helping out.
The video unexpectedly started a debate about whether it’s appropriate to start giving kids chores when they’re young. Although some people clearly were not fans of the idea, others had their reasons for defending it.
“This is the age when kids want to help and be involved,” one person explained. “if you wait and teach them that they aren’t involved in household life it will be much harder to teach them the responsibility when they’re older.”
Someone who works in child care echoed this sentiment, noting that kids often want to help educators as well. “It gives them a sense of responsibility, teaches them valuable life skills, in this video’s case also incorporates number learning and gross motor, and they have fun doing it!” the person commented.
Another person accused other parents of “coddling” their children. “Children need to learn healthy independence and confidence in themselves,” the commenter explained. “I never want my own child to feel absolutely helpless if I’m not around. Y’all coddle kids to their own detriment.”
Ultimately, the hack could be helpful to many – not just toddlers.
Should toddlers be helping out with laundry? People clearly had differing opinions, but the mom’s laundry folding idea was pretty popular regardless. Though the mom suggested using the hack to get toddlers involved – and some people clearly didn’t like that – several adults expressed interest in making the cardboard laundry-folding tool for themselves or for their older children.
