Boy's head stuck in metal bars for hours before family realises very obvious way to free him

A toddler spent the better part of two hours with his head stuck between two metal poles because his father couldn't work out how to free him.

Arthur Gardine, two, was playing in a construction site in Brazil when his head became wedged between two metal poles, leaving his family to figure out how to get him out.

The child's grandmother Celia filmed the ordeal as she watched on helplessly.

Video shows Arthur's father Rodrigo pushing and pulling the toddler trying to get him free before the boy's uncle and grandfather jump in to try and help.

• WATCH: Woman confronts shoppers grabbing baby formula before it's put on Coles shelves

• Man found dead after fleeing scene of road rage attack on own mother

• Man in his 80s wanted over alleged sex assault on Melbourne train

He also tries to use numerous techniques to force the bars apart, The Mirror reports.

At one point, Mr Gardine even considered calling the fire brigade for assistance.

It then dawned on Mr Gardine that Arthur hadn't entered head first after all.

"It took me over two hours to figure out that all our efforts were a waste of time. It was just a matter of physics and a simple solution," he laughed.

"Arthur hadn't entered head first through the bars at all. We had been tackling the problem completely the wrong way.

"All we had to do was take him out the same way he had gone in. And that meant turning Arthur sideways by the shoulders and slipping him through the bars," he said.

The video was recorded in April and recently came to light, garnering more than 200,000 shares on social media.