Charlie started watching Team Umizoomi (a cartoon that teaches patterns and math) sometime last year, and really got into the concept of patterns.

One day when he was eating, he asked if he could do a pattern with olives (his favorite food in the whole world); he would take one bite of food and then one bite of olive. We’ve been doing this for almost every dinnertime since (we also mix it up with pickles – his second favorite food), and it has dramatically increased how much he will eat.

Previously, getting him to eat 5 bites total was a struggle – and even that took forever. It didn’t even matter how hungry he was. But using patterns, we can count on him to eat at least half his dinner most of the time. Out of all the things we’ve tried… dessert, threats, bribes, lighting candles, eliminating snacks… this has been the most successful.

ADVERTISEMENT


steamed egg, asparagus, olives, and seaweed leftover from seaweed soup

I think patterns work for a couple of reasons:

  • It keeps him motivated because he knows his next bite will be a pickle or olive
  • It cleanses his palate so if there’s something he doesn’t love to eat, his next bite will be something he loves and he’s looking forward to that
  • It encourages him to try new foods he might not otherwise because he can do a pattern
  • He just loves patterns and is always talking about them

Unfortunately this doesn’t work with Olive the honey badger because she does what she wants to do, but since she gets most of the daily calories during school, I haven’t worried as much when she eats small dinners.

Mealtime has always been such a struggle in our home because neither kid is a big eater. So if something like using patterns works, I’m ok with it!

Do you use any unconventional tactics to get your kids to eat?