A savvy mum has shared a cheap creative invention which she claims keeps toddlers entertained for hours – and anyone can make it.

Jackie Brock, 28, has wowed TikTok users after revealing she made a makeshift bubble machine for her kids – which didn’t cost her a penny.

After being stuck in the house all day with her children, Billie, two, and Eddie, one, Jackie desperately needed to find something for them all to do together.

The mum knew that her kids loved playing with the bubble machine, but unfortunately it was missing a battery, so she had to get her thinking cap on.

Using household items including an old plastic water bottle and some baby wipes, her bubble machine invention was born.

It works by using a plastic bottle cut in half, tying a baby wipe around it and securing it in place with a rubber band, and dipping it into a mixture of water and washing up liquid (mixed with food colouring for extra fun).

You can then blow into the bottle and produce a huge stream of colourful bubbles – creating a “bubble snake” that Jackie says will keep kids entertained for hours.

"Both of my kids think they are amazing and would happily make bubble snakes over playing with any of their toys,” Jackie, a graphic designer from Australia, told NeedToKnow.online.

"It has been an absolute hit – so much so that I may never need to buy more batteries for the bubble machine!

"This activity came about on an afternoon after being stuck inside all day with my toddlers and we were all incredibly bored.

"Billie had been begging me for weeks to use the bubble machine that has no batteries and so I was trying to think of a way I could create bubbles for him without it.

"We live in a very small two-bedroom townhouse and don’t have a lot of room for toys, so I also like to DIY what I can for that reason and also because they get bored so quickly anyway.”

Impressed with the results, Jackie decided to share her invention on TikTok to inspire other parents to get creative with items lying around the house.

The clip garnered 447,000 views and 26,000 likes, and viewers were left amazed by the mum's creativity.

Teresa Espinozado said: "I have any children? No. Will I be doing this? Yes."

Cosmilotl said: "For toddlers? Pssshhh I’m 24 and am going to do that lol." [sic]

One person wrote: "This looks so cool! Definitely trying with my kids, they will love it!"

"That looks like a mess in the making but still a cool thing," another person wrote.

"My mom used to do this with me in the bath with a washcloth. One of my most cherished memories of her," someone else wrote.

ENDS

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