A picky eating phase is a rite of passage for many children and can make mealtime frustrating.

Every parent comes up with their own way to deal with this, but Chrissy Teigen’s hack is creative genius. She shared the homemade restaurant menu she made for 2.5-year-old, Luna and we have to admit that it’s pretty clever.

Teigen shared a video of the laminated menu she made to play restaurant with Luna in the hopes she’ll feel empowered to order her meal and actually eat.

(Bring on the laminator !)

chrissy teigen on Instagram: “BUYING A LAMINATOR IS THE BEST THING TO HAVE EVER HAPPENED TO ME”

Now Luna gets to play restaurant, which is awesome because according to a recent study by the American Academy of Pediatrics , playing with mama will help Luna develop skills like self-advocacy, decision-making, negotiation and a sense of agency.

Parents of toddlers know that those skills are important at this stage when kids are wanting to have more independence and control (including at the dinner table).

In the video, Teigen says she has a problem—making a laminated a menu of toddler meal options may be a bit over the top—but we can relate to doing whatever you can to try and get your toddler to eat. Having a picky eater can be overwhelming, confusing and sometimes infuriating.

But there’s good news for all of us struggling with a picky eater.

As pediatric occupational therapist, Ashley Thurn, previously wrote for Motherly , it’s completely normal for children around age two or three to start to test their new independence by eating or not eating the meal you set before them.

As long as your child is growing and developing well, there is no reason to be alarmed by these feeding behaviors.

Feeding disorders (where intake by mouth is severely restricted) are very rare, but if you are worried about your child’s food intake, talk to your pediatrician.

For more tips on how to survive the picky eating stage and develop healthy, no-drama, eating habits check out Motherly expert Dr. Dina DiMaggio’s on 5 tips to overcome a picky eating phase .

Motherly is your daily #momlife manual; we are here to help you easily find the best, most beautiful products for your life that actually work. We share what we love—and we may receive a commission if you choose to buy. You’ve got this.

You might also like: