This Aussie mum fondly recalls the days when she could open her fridge, take her time to decide what she should make for dinner, and then close the door with confidence that everything would remain exactly as she had left it.

It's just that she hasn't been able to do so for quite some time now, ever since her toddler began to attack the refrigerator on a regular basis.

While some mothers have been known to instal locks on their refrigerator doors in order to keep their young ones from raiding their food supply, this particular mum has chosen a more controversial approach to the problem.

Sharing a video on her TikTok account, mum Eunice Roudebush revealed how she stops her toddler from opening and raiding their fridge, much to the surprise and disapproval of some viewers.

"This is how I keep my toddler out of the fridge," she wrote in the video's caption, and it has since had more than 3.9 million views.

Eunice clips plastic spiders to the inside of the refrigerator to keep her toddler at bay. Credit: TikTok/@eunicerowdy. ​

The short eight-second clip shows Eunice opening her refrigerator and revealing small plastic spiders stuck to the handles of various compartments.

There is one on the outside of the freezer door that is at toddler height, and another on the inside of the fridge, in the crisper drawer that is also at her child's height.

The spiders are held in place with bright blue tape and it appears that they are effective in deterring her toddler from plundering the fridge.

A lot of people were swift to criticise Eunice for being unkind to her child, with one user commenting: "That's just wrong, he's going to have a massive problem with spiders later in life."

A second user agreed and added, "Cool, so you're teaching him with fear instead of teaching him that he only goes in the fridge when he's supposed to."

A third chimed in and wrote: "Today's lesson is how to take advantage of my child's severe arachnophobia…"

Some others saw the humour in the situation and speculated that it might have been a prank from the mum.

"This is level 10 childproofing," commented one user while a second one said it's great "Until they go to school telling everyone 'we have bugs'."

What are your thoughts, members?

Have you ever done something drastic just to keep the little ones away from the fridge, or did you just wait patiently until they were old enough to understand that they can’t open it without your permission?

Let us know in the comments!

 

[Woodcutter]

”Professional” offendees must troll the internet looking for things with which to be offended. A couple of spiders in the fridge is a brilliant idea.

 

[Jennylolo]

why not just use the baby safe locks you can buy at Bunnings for doors. Why instil a fear.

 

[Ricci]

Some days it's just a case of whatever works!!!

 

[JayKay]

I think the blue tape is the give away.....any toddler would know that the spiders are pretend, but are a signal to not open the drawers.
Are we frightened of red for life just because red traffic lights are a signal to stop?

 

[goodmorning]

my grand kid did it to there mum as a joke they put the spider on the milk so when she went to get the milk she grabbed it the boys were always playing jokes on there mum so the mum better watch out as the kids grow they will get it back haha

 

[PepeLePew]

THAT WOULD KEEP ME OUT OF THE FRIDGE FOR LIFE.

 

[debjane]

One of my nieces terrorised her sister with a spider when she was 3 years old now she is 50 years old and still has a meltdown when she sees a spider, so no i do not agree that this is a good way of keeping a child out of the fridge, I had 4 kids under 4 and they learnt that they kept out of the fridge unless they were told they could get milk or such out.

 

[SandyM]

why not just use the baby safe locks you can buy at Bunnings for doors. Why instil a fear.

My grandsons all easily got past all of those locks. My daughter tried them all & nothing worked for long. Too smart for their own good!

 

[Jennylolo]

My grandsons all easily got past all of those locks. My daughter tried them all & nothing worked for long. Too smart for their own good!

I haven't had any who unlocked them. But still, its about consistency and patience to tell a child no to something without creating a fear.

 

[barbaranne]

THAT WOULD KEEP ME OUT OF THE FRIDGE FOR LIFE.

You wouldn't be the only one.
I know lots of young children who would be scared.
I also know plenty of adults who, even though they KNOW it's not real, would be terrified.
There are even people who are so scared of spiders they can't even touch, or look at, a picture of a spider.

One of my daughters, on the other hand, has always loved spiders, even before she was walking, so as a toddler, she is more likely to have still opened the fridge, drawers, etc., to get what she wanted, and kept taking the spiders as well.

 

[barbaranne]

A third chimed in and wrote: "Today's lesson is how to take advantage of my child's severe arachnophobia…"

This is the perfect way to either begin, and intensify, a phobia, or perhaps create a new phobia - "fridgaphobia".