Mother-of-six Madeleine West shares her ‘best’ parenting hack

She’s known for playing Dee Bliss on Neighbours.

But when Madeleine West is not in front of the camera, she’s a single mother to six children: Phoenix, 13, Hendrix, 10, Xascha, eight, Xanthe, seven, and twins Xahlia and Margaux, four.

On Tuesday, the 40-year-old actress revealed her genius parenting hack that means she can feed her kids all at once with minimal effort. 

She said that her go-to easy meal for her children is a huge tray cookie, which is a lot easier to make than dividing the dough into individual cookies.

‘You know the school holidays have worn out their welcome when even portioning out the cookie dough is too much effort,’ Madeleine wrote on Instagram, alongside a photo of the dessert.

‘I suggest chucking the lot on a pizza tray, bake a mega-cookie and let the #kids fight it out amongst themselves… #schoolholidatips #parentinghacks #mumlife.’

Several of Madeleine’s followers praised her hack and said it was the ‘best idea ever’.

It comes after Madeleine shared the relatable hardships she encountered while Christmas shopping with her children last month.

She admitted she was reduced to ‘tears’ during an outing with her brood. 

After spending five hours shopping with her kids, Madeleine could not help but notice the other ‘exhausted’ parents at the shopping centre.

At first, she questioned whether her ‘panic’ was prompted by ‘the usual festive frenzy’ or other problems going on in the world.

She also witnessed ‘four drivers in the car park having a verbal stoush from behind their wheels as they vied for the last remaining spot’.

Madeleine said she felt a strong sense of camaraderie with the other parents who were in the same situation as her.