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Aussie mother sparks debate with ‘shocking' gift at a child's party

Aussie mother sparks debate with ‘shocking' gift at a child's party

Perth Now20-06-2025

An Aussie mother has sparked debate by bringing her own cleaning supplies as a 'secret present' for a child's birthday party, as opposed to a more traditional gift.
Perth mother Amanda Sainsbury-Salis explained on a TikTok clip she didn't want to bring gifts to a 'family birthday party', which she believed would end up in landfill.
'So, this is my secret present that I like to do at kids' birthday parties ... I like to bring a bag of rags,' Sainsbury-Salis said in her now viral TikTok clip.
Sainsbury-Salis brought out a number of other little supplies, including cling wrap, which she says the hosts usually run out.
Sainsbury-Salis continued: 'You know when you're at a kid's birthday party and everyone wants to help, but nobody knows how to help because they don't know where any of the cleaning stuff is? Sunrise host Monique Wright (middle) was joined by journalists Luke Bona and Susie O'Brien for Hot Topics on Friday. Credit: Seven
'I like to bring dishwashing detergent because you can bet your boots that the parents may have run out of dishwashing liquid.
'I bring a cleaning product because who knows how to find the cleaning products in someone else's house.
'And the other thing I bring is a lot, a lot of tea towels because these are really, really handy and nobody knows where to find the tea towels in somebody else's house.'
On Friday, Sunrise's Monique Wright was joined by journalists Susie O'Brien and Luke Bona, who spoke about the unusual gift.
'I think you're probably wiser sticking to Lego. Just give a kid a present,' O'Brien said.
'If someone with a bag of cleaning products I would say 'come on in, friend! Start on my pantry. Work your way through!'
'I have friend who turns-up to my house for dinner and they go 'could I repack your dishwasher? I don't like the way you have done it.' The mother said she takes a bag of rags to the child's birthday party. Credit: Seven
'Clearly, my standards aren't as high as some peoples!
'You want to clean at my house? Come on in!'
Bona laughed off the idea of turning up to a kid's party with a bag of cleaning rags.
'(She should have put something in there) like a dust buster.
'A Kmart dust buster. Don't go the Dyson.
'Could I just say this: 'can that woman's child be invited to a birthday party at my place twice a week?'
'That would be amazing!'

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