Mum’s controversial toddler trolley hack sparks intense debate

A mum’s Facebook post detailing a simple hack that saves parents lifting heavy children in and out of shopping trollies has sparked a tonne of heated discussion. Because it’s the internet, y’all!

Controversial hack

Of course, no chance at a heated debate will pass the internet by, however well-intentioned the original post might be.

Laura Castrillo’s post was hoping to save creaky or fragile types the worry of putting their back out as they tried to wrangle kids into shopping trollies.

Laura’s mum was struggling when it came to shopping with her grandchildren – “getting them in and out of the shopping cart isn’t as easy as it once was … my mom told me her back was sore from all the lifting in and out. That’s when I shared the trick with her,” Laura writes, telling the story in a little more depth on website Love What Matters.

‘The trick’ involved pushing the panel at the handle end of the trolley inwards, and allowing the kids to crawl in and out themselves (rather than lifting them over the sides of the trolley.)

People on Facebook watched this hack in the millions (seriously, the video how-to has had over 4 million views) and by golly did they have opinions.

The feedback pretty much fell into three clear but different camps:

Camp 1 – You have saved my life!

There were the people who were truly grateful for the back-saving hack …

“What the? I must be a blonde because my whole life I’ve been breaking my back picking up my heavy ass kid out of the cart!”

“Can you believe this witchcraft!!!”

“Mind. Blown.”

Camp 2 – No sh*t, Sherlock!

There were the people who had totally been there and done that. #yawn

“This [trick] is older than me!!!!!!” 

“That’s not a hack. Anyone who didn’t know that carts did that are just stupid.”

“Been doing that since my daughter was little … she’s 24 now.”

Camp 3 – The end of the world is nigh

And there were the people who determined this hack would result in … doom, disease and death.

“I thought kids were not allowed to sit in that part of the cart … that part is just to stack the carts together …”

“They’re not even supposed to be in the cart, they have a picture for it and everything.”

“Shopping carts are sooo nasty, dirty and germs galore.”

“Y’all tripping. Wait till she closes that thing too soon and you’re stuck somewhere between that trap door and death. Been there it’s not pretty.”

And you know what? Kids aren’t supposed to ride in trollies like this. And yet they do. So there you go.

Mind. Blown.