Hands up, who has bought themselves a Plush Kmart Blanket (or three) this winter?

Now let’s see a show of hands for those of us who threw the cover in the bin? (Guilty!)

Turns out the humble Kmart blanket has a second act.. Across the country, Aussie parents are discovering that the cover that the popular $20 blanket comes in is far too useful to throw out — and it took one TikTok video to make us see the error of our ways!

The video in question comes from creator @lilykayess, who shared it as “Mum Hack #50.” In it, Lily shows how the super soft cover doubles as the perfect size for a pram or capsule liner — perfect to pop her little one in to keep her snug and warm on winter walks. Simple, free, and exactly the kind of hack that makes you wonder why you hadn’t thought of it sooner.

The video has racked up over 2,300 shares — but it’s the comments section where things got really interesting. Rather than just praising the hack, mums started listing their own uses for the cover, and it quickly became clear Lily wasn’t the only one who’d worked this out.

@lilykayess One year later and I still use it ! #onthisday #mumsoftiktokaustralia #mumhack ♬ original sound – ✨ LilyKayEss ✨

Why So Many Parents Are Jumping On Board

It’s a genuinely handy hack, but its popularity taps into something bigger than one clever mum. Australians now buy more new clothing per person than anywhere else in the world — an average of 56 items a year, ahead of the US, UK and China — and a lot of the packaging that comes with it is designed to be used once and thrown away. Over 200,000 tonnes of clothing still ends up in Australian landfill every year, so even a small habit like reusing a blanket cover chips away at that pile.

And the product itself isn’t some obscure find — Kmart’s Plush Jacquard Blanket range is currently listed as a “Bestseller” and “Trending Now” on Kmart’s own website, so there’s a good chance you’ve already got at least one of these covers in your home right now, or you’ll soon be running out to get one!

It Didn’t Stop at Babies

What really made the comments section worth reading was how far parents had taken the idea — well beyond prams. A few of our favourites:

• The eco-conscious win: “Actually so clever! Also very resourceful and saves more material from going to landfill!”
• The practical swap: “Thats way better then a little blanket that falls off love it”
• The unexpected reuse: one commenter uses hers to store her hot water bottle, another uses the thinner covers to pack shoes when travelling, and someone else stores blankets and sheets in theirs to keep the linen closet organised.
• The pet-friendly version: from a Chihuahua carry bag to a makeshift cat blanket (paper packaging and elastic removed first!).
• The sentimental one: “That’s my daughter’s teddy’s sleeping bag that he gets tucked into each night in bed.”
• The DIY project: one mum unpicked the seams of her forest green cover entirely and turned it into a Christmas tree skirt.

Other repurposing ideas from the comments included library bags for school, odd-sock bags, dirty soccer boot bags, a a fan-blade duster, and even a makeshift cushion.

A few commenters admitted the hack had them planning a trip to Kmart for a blanket they didn’t actually need — purely for the cover.

What Do You Use Yours For?

What would you use yours for — or what have you already turned yours into?

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