A $5 Kmart travel hack kept my three young children occupied on a five-hour flight

An Australian mother has revealed a ‘genius’ hack that kept her three children happy during a five-hour cross-country flight.

Vanessa from Sydney spent weeks dreading the hours she would soon have to spend with her children on a flight to Perth.

Children can be extremely restless and cranky during flights, especially younger children who have difficulty sitting still for long periods of time.

But Vanessa ‘hacked the system’ when she got one 12 Compartment Organizer Box from Kmart ($5.50).

The mom filled it with various snacks, including popcorn, mini Oreos, chips, marshmallows, cookies, cheese, meat and more.

She shared a photo of the hack on a popular mom’s group.

“A five-hour flight with three kids…$5.50 multi-compartment organizer for the win.”

She added: ‘The flight attendants were amazed and loved it – and the kids were happy the whole flight!’

Vanessa made sure her children ate the cheese and sausages first so that the food didn’t sit out of the refrigerator for too long.

Many moms were surprised by Vanessa’s simple idea, with several saying the hack is one of their favorites.

A mother uses organizers to transport food to picnics and barbecues

‘I do something similar when I barbecue and picnic outside!’ wrote one woman. “It’s so easy to pack and transport.”

‘This is brilliant!’ said one. “I’ll definitely do something like that when I have a longer period with my two boys.”

She added: ‘As long as they have food they are usually quite happy, and they would love the selection of snacks on offer.’

‘Genius, this is such a useful tip! Will definitely be useful one day,” wrote another.

“I’m an adult and I would like to have that many snacks on my flight,” one woman said.

Travelers should note that while processed and cooked foods are allowed on flights, for health and safety reasons you should eat or throw away all fresh food before leaving the airport.