New Mum's Hack to Avoid Scorpions in Crib Goes Viral: 'Love Arizona'

A first-time mom from Arizona recently went viral on social media after sharing one of her top tips on how to "scorpion-proof" your house when you live in the desert.

In the clip, shared on TikTok in May under the username Xokiamatthews, she can be seen placing each of her baby's crib legs inside a glass jar, in order to stop scorpions from crawling into the crib, and potentially harming the baby.

The post came with a caption that explains: "Things I've learned as a first-time mom (pt 109). Put baby's crib legs inside of glass jars, to keep scorpions from crawling into the crib." Followed by: "With the heat, comes scorpions and this is a crucial step of scorpion-proofing! the joys of living in a desert. moms, this hack is a MUST TRY if you live anywhere with scorpions!!"

Further down in the comments section she also said: "It's scary but I've lived in AZ all my life so I'm used to it but it's totally different now that I'm a mom. I have a 15-month-old! scorpions can't crawl up glass so this is an easy way to ensure she's safe when sleeping."

Scorpion stings kill more people around the world than any other animal, except snakes, causing about 3,250 fatalities every year. There are more than 40 species of scorpions in the United States, but not all of them are deadly. In fact, the venomous ones in this country live mainly in the southwestern deserts.

According to Mount Sinai, most stings from scorpions found in North America, don't need treatment, although children aged six years and younger are more likely to have harmful effects from venomous types of scorpions.

Their home care recommendations are: "Clean the area thoroughly with soap and water. Place ice (wrapped in a clean cloth) on the site of the sting for 10 minutes and then off for 10 minutes. Repeat this process. If the person has problems with blood circulation, decrease the time that the ice is on the area to prevent possible skin damage.

"Keep the affected area still, if possible, to prevent the venom from spreading. Loosen clothing and remove rings and other tight jewelry. Give the person diphenhydramine (Benadryl and other brands) by mouth if they can swallow. This antihistamine drug may be used alone for mild symptoms."

The video quickly gained popularity on social media, and it has so far received over 11.7 million views and 790,000 likes on TikTok.

One user, A. Stevens, commented: "Excuse me did you say SCORPIONS." And Kat said: So glad I live in New England. I just have to worry about pilgrim ghosts calling me a witch when I turn on my son's sound machine."

Christina Coryell wrote: "Hate to be a Bad news bear but I'm an AZ native, bark scorpions can crawl ANYTHING even glass jars." And Ava said: "Love Arizona. always looking for scorpions in my house. there's a dead one in the kitchen light [right now]."

Another user, Valentina Huauya, said: "Things I've learned: if there is the slightest possibility of ever having to deal with scorpions I am in the wrong country." And Jennifer added: "We don't have scorpions in Washington state so this shocked me but I do have 2 pet scorpions. lol."

Newsweek reached out to Xokiamatthews for comment via email. We couldn't verify the details of the case.

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