Nanny films an adorable little girl’s daily lunches in a viral series: meet Poppy! (Exclusive)

A Texas woman is going viral on TikTok for the unique way she got a toddler to eat lunch: by filming her.

Myeisha Meeks tells PEOPLE that the videos she uploads to the social media site were “originally just a way to get Poppy to eat lunch.” But, millions of views later, they’ve “become something people really enjoy watching.”

In her TikToks, Meeks shares her daily “lunch with Poppy” videos, in which she can be seen feeding Poppy while the little girl looks expectantly at her food, coming up with adjectives like “juicy” to describe her apprehension about certain foods . Or, in some cases, simply saying “no” to things that don’t interest him.

Eventually, Poppy becomes more comfortable with foods she was initially unsure about, smiling as she takes bites of ravioli and salmon – and smiling all the time at her reflection in the camera.

Meeks, a 44-year-old single mother from Grand Prairie, Texas, began caring for Poppy, now 2, when she was 9 months old.

“His grandparents attend the synagogue I work at,” Meeks says. “Her grandmother saw me with the kids (at daycare) and asked if I would be interested in looking after Poppy to help her daughter.”

Meeks, who had never had a nanny before, adds: “I was hesitant at first because I wasn’t sure what I was going to agree to. After meeting Poppy and her mother, we immediately clicked and I knew this was where I was supposed to be.”

But taking care of a child comes with its share of challenges, including getting them to eat.

So Meeks – who Poppy calls “Mye Mye” – started filming the little girl and quickly noticed that she loved watching herself eat.

“She hasn’t been eating her lunch really well lately,” Meeks says in a video, “so the fact that she ate her lunch and took that last bite was a super win.”

In more recent videos, Poppy can be seen lifting her fork to feed herself, opening her mouth wide (and full of food) to show Meeks that she’s enjoying it.

“She loves watching herself now,” Meeks says. “She was so excited when she saw her first video.”

And while she was encouraged that filming Poppy helped make lunchtime easier, Meeks says she was shocked when she realized the videos were resonating with others, too.

“I was in complete shock when this video went viral. I never posted this. I was just sharing my attempt to get Poppy to eat her lunch properly,” Meeks said, adding, “I’m getting an overwhelming amount of parents who want me to nanny.

Although Meeks can’t make herself available to every child at mealtime, she has some advice for parents or guardians trying to get their own children to eat: “Make it fun.”

“Get creative and stand there while they eat,” she says. “Don’t just put the plate in front of them and leave.”

Meeks continues: “Dedicate this time to your child. Also take a bite of his food or eat with him. If they see you eating, they are more likely to try their food.