An Aussie mum has come up with a novel way to get her three teenage boys downstairs without having to yell or text them – by installing a household bell system inspired by Downton Abbey.

The mum, who posted her idea on Bunnings online over the weekend, uses a $10 wireless doorbell — that would typically be used for the front door — to ‘ring’ her boys down from their bedrooms.

The family shared how their system works — they installed the chimes upstairs inside the house with three buttons in the kitchen, with each button bearing the initials of one of their kids, and is connected to a chime in their respective rooms.

The mum noted that the bells in each boy's room had their own distinct sound to eliminate possibilities of confusion, saying: “no more frustration when I call them for dinner.”

The mum said that the bell system in Downton Abbey inspired her to recreate it at home. Credit: Universal Pictures.​

It should be noted that in the early 1900s, bell systems were used in large homes and estates to summon servants.

A cord was run from each room to a central location, usually a housekeeper's room or the kitchen.

The cord was pulled when a servant was needed, which rang a bell at the central location.

Each button is labelled with the kids’ initials. Credit: WS FM 101.7.​

A number of parents expressed their support for the "100% lazy parenting" inventive hack, with many confessing that they actually use this method in their families as well.

One person wrote: "We did this for our kids' bathroom downstairs as they were taking very long showers. When it rings they need to get out of the shower or next time it's mum or dad walking in and turning off the water!"

"Great idea! Our son has epilepsy and when he was teen and lived at home had had the button end of a doorbell attached to his bed head and the ringing part in our bedroom so he could call for help easily," another added.

A third chimed (sorry, we couldn’t resist) in: "We did this with our kids' cubby house. It saves us having to yell to get their attention."

"Great idea, I used to have to stomp on the floor to get teens up for dinner," another said.

Meanwhile, other parents said that they use gadgets — such as smart pods like Alexa or Google Home — to communicate with their kids around the house.

One mum said: "That’s brilliant! I usually text but it’s a bit hit and miss if they have their phone on them."

Also, as it turned out, the bell system not only works for children...

"I have one for my husband. I’m sick of shouting at him when he’s in his office!" one woman shared.

We must admit that this hack is something that we might consider trying in the future. How about you? Have you had similar systems in your homes before?

 

[Ricci]

My husband (who is the oldest of 10 kids) used to live on a farm in a big house that had those bells on curly metal springs. His dad dismantled one of the bells and at meal times they went outside the back door and rang it, It called the kids in from all corners of the farm.

 

[My handle]

We lived opposite a golf course and could have been just about any where so Mum has a brass bell like a school bell and rang it at meal times, it could be heard for miles, similar idea to Ricci family. Worked every time

 

[nann]

Aussie mum’s inventive, “Downton Abbey-style” tip for getting her kids downstairs without yelling their names gets praised online​

An Aussie mum has come up with a novel way to get her three teenage boys downstairs without having to yell or text them – by installing a household bell system inspired by Downton Abbey.

The mum, who posted her idea on Bunnings online over the weekend, uses a $10 wireless doorbell — that would typically be used for the front door — to ‘ring’ her boys down from their bedrooms.

The family shared how their system works — they installed the chimes upstairs inside the house with three buttons in the kitchen, with each button bearing the initials of one of their kids, and is connected to a chime in their respective rooms.

The mum noted that the bells in each boy's room had their own distinct sound to eliminate possibilities of confusion, saying: “no more frustration when I call them for dinner.”

The mum said that the bell system in Downton Abbey inspired her to recreate it at home. Credit: Universal Pictures.​

It should be noted that in the early 1900s, bell systems were used in large homes and estates to summon servants.

A cord was run from each room to a central location, usually a housekeeper's room or the kitchen.

The cord was pulled when a servant was needed, which rang a bell at the central location.

Each button is labelled with the kids’ initials. Credit: WS FM 101.7.​

A number of parents expressed their support for the "100% lazy parenting" inventive hack, with many confessing that they actually use this method in their families as well.

One person wrote: "We did this for our kids' bathroom downstairs as they were taking very long showers. When it rings they need to get out of the shower or next time it's mum or dad walking in and turning off the water!"

"Great idea! Our son has epilepsy and when he was teen and lived at home had had the button end of a doorbell attached to his bed head and the ringing part in our bedroom so he could call for help easily," another added.

A third chimed (sorry, we couldn’t resist) in: "We did this with our kids' cubby house. It saves us having to yell to get their attention."

"Great idea, I used to have to stomp on the floor to get teens up for dinner," another said.

Meanwhile, other parents said that they use gadgets — such as smart pods like Alexa or Google Home — to communicate with their kids around the house.

One mum said: "That’s brilliant! I usually text but it’s a bit hit and miss if they have their phone on them."

Also, as it turned out, the bell system not only works for children...

"I have one for my husband. I’m sick of shouting at him when he’s in his office!" one woman shared.

We must admit that this hack is something that we might consider trying in the future. How about you? Have you had similar systems in your homes before?

I have often suggested to elderly people where two or more are still at home, to have this system. The one who is going outside for awhile or in another part of the house should carry the button and if get into difficulty for any reason. to push the button and it will then alert the others in the house. Some people couldn't afford to purchase and pay on going fees for personal alarm systems.

 

[LH2022]

Good idea. Wireless doorbells at Bunnings can be easily set with different ringtones for each kid.

 

[JayKay]

I used to have an elderly neighbour whose husband disappeared into his closed garage for hours. He was was an incredible DIYer.
To save his dear wife coming down the back steps for mealtimes or phone calls, he set up a wire from the kitchen to the garage.
At her end was a press button.
On his end was an old fry pan with a wooden spoon attached.
When the button was pressed, the wooden spoon tapped the fry pan, alerting husband to come inside.
Definitely not lazy, ingenious in the 1950s.

 

[WADuck]

Like it well done folks.