Ali Condon
A mum was left shook, and honestly probably a little bit annoyed, after discovering what the little piece of plastic on the inside of a baby formula container is for - right after taking her baby off milk.
Gillian Mitchell told her TikTok followers that she's just spotted a genius hack for making baby formula for her little one, but since she won't be needing it again any time soon, she's been kind enough to share it with the rest of us:
The mum wrote on the video: "When you are taking your first born off milk and realise that this little plastic part makes the powder level.
Advert
"I know what to do second time around!"
In Gillian's baby formula container, and in many others, you'll see a little strip of plastic in one corner, and if you didn't know any better, you'd think it was a nuisance more than anything else.
But in fact, it's there for a genius use.
After taking a scoop of baby formula from the box, Gillian scrapes the heaped spoon against the little plastic strip, perfectly levelling off her scoop and leaving her with the perfect amount of formula.
Gillian couldn't believe she hadn't noticed this trick sooner, but she wasn't the only one.
In the comment section, other mums assured her that it took them even longer to figure this one out.
"I used to level it off with a knife until I realised," one viewer admitted.
"I just realised after having my second child," commented a second. "Makes life so much easier."
Doing one better, a third added: "I was on my third baby before I realised this."
And a fourth confessed: "I thought I was smart and I made this up."
While some viewers were more shocked that Gillian didn't know this hack already, arguing that this was just 'common sense'.
"How are people just learning this?" demanded one TikToker.
"I refuse to believe you did not know this," wrote a second.
When a third bemused viewer asked: "Really? What did you think it was for?", Gillian replied: "Honestly I never paid much attention to it."
Of course, new parents have enough to concentrate on without concerning themselves with the little piece of plastic on the inside of a formula container, so no shame if you're with Gillian on this one.
As the new mum put it herself: "We all learn at different times."