News Beat
Mum’s ‘devious’ plan to catch her daughter’s school lunch thief has people labelling her ‘mother of the year’
A MUM left fuming when her daughter’s packed lunch was repeatedly stolen at school hatched a plan to catch the thief.
Chrissy’s little girl kept have her lunch taken and “replaced with other items”, leaving her “upset” that the bag didn’t have what she was expecting inside.
So, when the situation kept happening, and Chrissy had an idea who the culprit was, she got devious and took matters into her own hands.
The first stage of her plan was to squeeze food dye into tubes of penne pasta, with the hope that the stealing child would bite into the food and end up covered in colour.
She then covered the pasta tubes in tomato sauce and grated cheese to disguise the food dye.
And she told her daughter to “look out for the rainbow mouth at lunchtime“, as well as hiding her real lunch so that the thief couldn’t steal anything.
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“Mouths don’t lie but some kids do!” she captioned a video on her TikTok page.
In an update, Chrissy later took to TikTok to share another clip, in which she said that her suspicions were correct, and “the same child we thought it was had food colouring all over her hands”.
“Her mum is one of my close friends and when I brought it up to her the other day, she said her child would never steal anything and said I was wrong,” she added.
She also showed how she was putting padlocks on her daughter’s lunch bag to try and stop the thief.
And while that worked for a brief period, when they “risked” not using the padlocks, “something was swapped again”.
Chrissy’s friend continued to deny it was her child doing the poaching, but agreed to another stage of her pal’s plan.
So Chrissy took edible glitter, and put it in the bottom of a lunch box – before putting sausage rolls on top of that.
“She’s asked the school if she can give her child some medicine at lunchtime – if she spots any glitter or food dye, then she will finally believe me,” she sighed.
People were quick to comment on Chrissy’s “devious” plans, with many calling her the “mother of the year”, while others shared their own similar tales.
“Wasabi-stuffed ravioli stopped a lunch thief at my first job,” one wrote.
“It was a 28 year old man who was stealing my lunch and his brother was the manager so his write-ups for this type of stuff mysteriously never ended up in his employee file.”
“My mum put laxatives in her cupcakes when this happened to me,” another said.
More parenting hacks
IF you want to make your life easier as a first-time mum, here’s nine hacks you won’t want to miss.
1. Routine Charts
Create visual charts for daily routines. Use pictures and stickers to make them engaging for younger children.
2. Meal Planning
Plan meals a week in advance to save time and reduce stress. Involve your children in meal prep to teach them cooking skills.
3. Toy Rotation
Keep a portion of toys stored away and rotate them periodically. This keeps playtime fresh and exciting without the need for constant new purchases.
4. DIY Cleaning Solutions
Make child-safe cleaning solutions using vinegar and baking soda. It’s effective and keeps harsh chemicals away from little hands.
5. Time-Out Jar
Create a time-out jar filled with calming activities written on slips of paper. When emotions run high, children can pick an activity to help them settle down.
6. Educational Apps
Utilise educational apps and websites to make screen time productive. Look for ones that offer interactive learning in subjects your child is interested in.
7. Command Centre
Set up a family command centre with a calendar, key hooks, and a bulletin board. It helps keep everyone organised and aware of daily schedules.
8. Emergency Kit
Keep a small emergency kit in the car with essentials like snacks, water, first aid supplies, and a change of clothes. It’s a lifesaver for unexpected situations.
9. Label Everything
Use labels for clothes, school supplies, and lunch boxes. It makes it easier to keep track of belongings, especially in shared spaces like schools.
“Safe to say it didn’t happen again!”
“Laxative or hot chilli,” a third suggested.
“I’m surprised the school isn’t looking into this more,” someone else commented.
“What if the person was swapping lunch with children who have food allergies?”
