Have children, shop at Kmart. It’s pretty much a given, right?
But the latest trend for Kmart lovers is to repurpose popular items. And these next level kid-friendly and very clever Kmart hacks are taking social media by storm.
If you need another reason to make a beeline to Kmart, we’ve rounded up a few of our favourite Kmart repurposing hacks, direct from the minds of clever parents with little ones. From the nursery to the play room, these beyond brilliant Kmart upcycle ideas have uncovered a whole new world of awesomeness.
1. Dog Bed to Bean Bag Chair
Bean bag chairs are a popular item for playrooms across Australia. But when you add up the cost of the chair and the 2,000 beans it takes to fill it (plus the time spent trying to fill the damn thing without spilling the Styrofoam all over the floor), is it really worth it?
Mum-of-two Megan Nicole didn’t think so, especially when there were perfectly good bean bag alternatives only a few aisles away in Kmart’s pet section.
Enter the Kmart Oval Pet Bed ($20). As Megan writes on Kmart Mums Australia Facebook page, the dog beds feature “Vinyl like material for easy cleaning and no potential bean explosion”.
And her toddlers LOVE them.
2. Step Stool to Toddler Table
Scrap the bulky high chair. Clever mums stick to step stools as the perfect servery for their pint-sized eaters. The $19 Kmart Bamboo Step Stool doubles as a terrific table/chair set for toddlers.
Just ask mum of one, Lisa Wishart, who shared a picture of her 20-month-old daughter Chloe using the step stool at mealtime in Facebook group Kmart Mums Australia. For $19, you can’t get any cheaper than that!
3. Beach Trolley to Portable Dinner Table
The Kmart Foldable Beach Trolley ($49) is another Kmart product to have a massive impact on the Internet world. Not only is it handy for pretty much ANY outing with kids, but team it with the Kmart Portable Booster Chair ($29) and you’ve got a cool place for yout tot to each lunch at the park or at the beach (minus the sand).
Of course, the Beach-Trolley is on everyone’s ‘want list’ so stock is VERY, VERY limited. Contact your nearest Kmart store and they may be able to find one for you.
4. Shower Caddy to Bottle Holder
Next we have the shower caddy hack which has officially solved that annoying baby bottle storage problem we all have. Rather than stack your baby bottles on the shelf or chuck them into a drawer, a mum from Texas made her very own baby bottle storage system… out of a shower caddy.
The specific shower caddy she used (picture above) isn’t sold at Kmart, but they do have similar ones, including the Family Shower Caddy ($10). You can even add hooks for dummy storage. Brilliant! And when baby grows, use it for water bottles.
5. Book Shelf to Baby Wardrobe
From the pantry to the nursery, our next hack solves the baby clothing storage problem. You can buy designer baby wardrobes to store your little one’s itty bitty baby items.
Or, you can make your own for a fraction of the cost.
All you need is the black Kmart Three Tier Bookshelf ($35). Add a dowel and you’ve got yourself a perfectly suitable space for storage. That’s another win for Kmart!
6. Ice Cube Tray to Bento Lunch Box
Give your child’s lunch box a makeover as well. And for only $4.50.
Simply place a Giant Ice Cube Tray ($1.50) inside a 1L container ($3). What you are left with is your very own Bento Box with six small compartments, perfect for storing snacks on the run.
And this is only the beginning of the fun these little storage compartments can offer! You can store all sorts of things in it – dummies, small toys, LEGO, coins, craft supplies. The list goes on and on and on.
7. Towel Rack to Teddy Zoo
We will end our clever Kmart hacks round-up with the Kmart Bamboo Towel Rail With Frame ($25). With a little bit of pizzazz, you can easily convert it into a sneaky stuffed animal storage holder. Because we all know how bulky those stuffed teddies can be!
We love this clever idea from Jade McKnight, who added painted railings to the front and back for the ultimate Teddy Zoo.
This versatile little rack can be used for a number of other things too. I converted it into a dress-up corner for my daughter, which now holds her array of princess dresses and accessories. She has easy access to her costume closet (shown below) and sometimes even manages to hang the dresses up after she tries them on 15 times a day… sometimes.
Of course, these are only a few of the ways mums have made-over Kmart products. What we love about these clever ideas is that they are easy and require zero (or minimal) DIY effort. No trips to Bunnings necessary.
Have any other Kmart upcycle ideas to share? Make sure you add them in the comments section below. Â And check out our latest Kmart articles for all things Kmart-related. If you’re also a fan of Ikea, then have a look at these cool Ikea Hacks for Your Kids’ Bedrooms.Â
20 Comments
Hope Kmart wont find themselves with a lawsuit over their heads.. when someones baby gets injured or worse , by suggesting they use a garden trolley as a portocot ?????? Dont think they thaught about that one too good…..
@Laura – Kmart aren’t suggesting that the trolley be used as a portacot, so I doubt they’d be liable at all. It’s basically something that a parent did when they took their kids to the beach. They used the trolley to get all their stuff from the car to their chosen spot on the sand, then later when their baby was tired they put some towels in the bottom of the trolley and used it as a makeshift “cot”.
Omg… if a baby in a trolley upsets you, you’d pop a freakin hernia at the places I’ve put mine down
Omg… if a baby in a trolley upsets you, you’d pop a freakin hernia at the places I’ve put mine down…
ahahhaha omg me too!
You know Kmart hasn’t suggested these hacks and that individuals have don’t you?
In Denmark we use these all the time to transport kids around. They are actually marketed for this use.
Jesus woman it’s just a temporary cot not a permanent cot or pram. I’ve put my kids in shopping trolleys to sleep and they are STILL ALIVE!!! 30 YEARS LATER!!! Too many bloody mamby pamby’s around no wonder kids are such sucks these days
Hi. The beach trolley isn’t being used for a porta cot. It’s got a booster chair in it and it’s a little obvious it’s whilst mum is doing the shopping and it’s occupying the toddler. I think it’s genius!! And ppl put their kids in it a lot at the beach, on a walk, at a picnic…..endless opportunities to use it.
That was my first thought, Laura. Love the idea of the portacot, but my concern would be whether it was safe enough for a baby to be placed inside. I think you would have to be truly sure that all the various mechanisms were locked in place.
Do we not need to make sure all mechanisms are secure in a regular portacot anyway
Bloody great ideas even the trolley. People are dicks these days . Get over it.
I think these are fabulous ideas! I’m a member of the k-mart mums page and have learnt some great hacks and ideas! Saved me a ton of money too…
OMG. I wondered how long it would take for someone to whinge about putting a baby in the trolley!!! NOT long at all. Nobody is saying you HAVE to use it as a cot at the beach for goodness sake .. it was simply a Mum using it when the need arose!!!!
Suggesting Kmart might get lawsuits is ridiculous .. where does it even mention Kmart?!!!
The article is all about Kmart items and the trolley has the price and info on buying it from Kmart.
Is this a sponsored ad for Kmart?
Actually saw someone use a similar trolley at the snow recently !
Awesome idea ….. it carried their luggage to a spot … then trolley doubled as a bed for the little one, while mum & dad built snowman with the older sibling ! Great idea 😉
I use my trolley to bring all my groceries in from the car. It can fit a whole weeks worth of groceries easily. Then I just wheel it into the house, unload, then fold it up and put it back in the garage. No more trips back and forth carrying heavy bags! Oh and if my kids were babies I’d totally put them in it for a nap, both my teens have been wheeled around in it. It is super sturdy and does not fold up without some effort in pulling the centre hinge upwards.
The brown sideboard is gorgeous
love that there had to be a Karen come along and pull the “omg, wont someone think of the babies!” Dude, chill, I love the dog bed idea too, that is awesome. The Kmart dog beds never worked for my dogs as they pulled that shit apart in 10 seconds, at least the kids wont eat them….or will they? 😉