How Chrissy Teigen Finally Got Her 'Picky' Daughter To Eat
Every parent knows that picky eaters can be one of the most frustrating things to deal with. One day your kid will only eat peas and the next, your little cherub declares that peas are the absolute worst food in existence and they are now entirely devoted to chicken fingers.
Food choices can be an endless source of conflict, and it can be quite difficult trying to please everyone without driving yourself crazy. You're not alone, though — a study in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics found that 50 percent of children are identified as picky eaters by their caregivers by age 2.
Even celebrity families struggle with this issue. Recently, model-turned-cookbook author Chrissy Teigen opened up to fans in a video, talking about the creative and playful way she gets her 2-year-old daughter, Luna, to be more open to trying new foods. Her approach is super fun and totally a project anyone can do in an afternoon or two.
Chrissy Teigen involves daughter Luna in the meal planning process
Time shared tweets from Chrissy Teigen's Twitter profile, who tweeted, "I always came from the mindset of 'eat what we serve or go to bed hungry' but I'm officially owned by my toddler, struggling to make a *dinner* luna likes aside from spaghetti and fish sticks.... any ideas welcome!!"
Teigen later shared with fans a "menu" she created by laminating photographs of food she had prepared for her daughter, stating, "I made a restaurant for my two and a half year old." This may seem a bit over the top, but Today's Parent notes that one of the best ways to get children to eat the food you serve them is to involve your kids in the meal planning process, which is exactly what Tiegen is doing.
Chrissy Teigen's 'picky eater' strategy worked
Today's Parent suggests parents struggling with picky eaters should include their kids in the menu-planning process as well as shop for groceries. This allows them to feel more independent and will help avoid unnecessary power struggles. This strategy has definitely seemed to help Luna become more involved in mealtime, and has lessened her pickiness as a result.
Insider reports Teigen's "cafe" even has prices for the foods, which daughter Luna "pays" for using laminated money. In the video clip Tiegen uploaded to her social media profiles, viewers can see this imaginative method in action, with daughter Luna flipping through the handmade booklet before choosing and "paying" for homemade fish sticks with broccoli. Buzzfeed lists the menu items as being "priced" around $3, and includes kid-friendly classics such as ham and cheese "Lunables" (a play on the popular snack brand Lunchables), grilled cheese, and chicken tenders.