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If you are unlucky enough to have a child who is a fussy or picky eater you know how tiring it is to make meals that keep being rejected. So what to do when you've finally had it with plain spaghetti?
One parent had an idea, and while we aren't suggesting it's a good one it does appear to have been effective.
Must read: Cake or broccoli? How to get your toddler to choose broccoli every time
In a viral post a Twitter user by the name @rudyhernandez attempts to feed his baby, but the child shakes his head, rejecting the offering. Dad then turns to the stuffed mouse on the table and tries to spoon feed the toy.
Mickey refuses to eat, and things quickly turn sour when @rudyhernandez suddenly punches the doll repeatedly.
After a moment he puts poor Mickey down and offers a spoonful of dinner to his baby, who now accepts the food easily.
Other parents tested the trick and shared their videos as well.
This Facebook user shared this video of herself trying the viral hack to her toddler and similarly, it worked.
Watch the full video here.
Is this trending trick the answer to hangry toddlers everywhere?
Not so fast, because although the video was mainly shared as a parenting joke, many found the clip to be 'disturbing'.
Parents thought that beating stuffed animals could act as negative reinforcement, or traumatise the children.
Also see: When a parent is just not that into parenting: Online confessions that'll make you feel okay about being an "Okay Mom"
One dad spoke out against the technique
Sharing his own version dad Christopher Duett shared how he uses the doll for positive reinforcement. It worked.
The dad shared, "I'm far from a psychology expert but a little bit of reading and common sense can easily help any parent understand why it’s wrong".
"The initial videos are problematic because they create the illusion of effectiveness," he said.
"But what’s going on behind the scenes of that is that a child of that age is laying the foundation for learning empathy and emotional association and they are observing behaviors and will mimic them".
He has an excellent point.
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Share your parenting tips, tricks and hacks with us, and we could publish them. Anonymous contributions are welcome.
