" I don't yike this, Mama"...what's going on here?

[We Three]

Yes, that's what she says now...I don't yike this, mama.   Her favorite foods...foods that she has asked for! I ask her what she wants for snack, she says "grapes!"  I give her grapes and she looks at them like they're worms, and says she doesn't like them.

This began a few days ago....not sure how to handle it. This morning she asked me for oatmeal for breakfast...one of her faves...so I gave it to her, and she stirred it around and looked upset, told me she doesn't "yike" it.  I said "Sure you do, honey! It's your favorite!"  and she ate it but only a little, and after a long time of stirring and examining it.  Later she bit a grape and nearly gagged...she adores grapes...so I have no idea what this is about.

I refuse to have food issues, will never force or cajole, so for the first few days I asked her what else she would like to have, and I presented her with that too.  Yesterday she was given 3 snacks before she ate any...and all of them were things she loves, and things she had asked for.  I'm sure it's behavioral, she is approaching 3yo, but...she really does look horrified when she says she doesn't like it.   

Any ideas as to what could be going on or how to best handle it?

[anna*]

I'm way out of my depth here, but my first thought on reading your post was that maybe it's something to do with the beginnings of seeing the difference between the 'idea' of something and the reality of it. I wonder if having her involved in preparing the snack (even if it's just plucking the grapes off the stem and washing them, adding milk to the oatmeal and stirring it) might help? Also would mean she gets the chance to decide she doesn't 'yike' it before it's all prepared and on the plate iykwim.

The other question is whether she might just not be feeling 100% great. If I feel a tiny bit nauseous sometimes I can mistake the feeling for hunger, fix myself something to eat but then the sight of it makes me go 'oh gross no I can't eat'.

[Mama2boys]

hey there, we went thought the same  afew weeks ago and luckily it was a phase and we seem to be recovering now. I did indulge DS a few times and all he wanted was Pasta with butter and then went on to explain that one has to eat everything and all teh details about a balanced diet etc. Seemed to have worked. but we weaned it out slowly so indulged and gradulay introduced waht was menat to be eaten as well.

Almost going back to basics so partially something he liked and partially something he had liked but was saying no to.

[speechie]

Hi- we had the same sort of behavior going on here last week..."Mama, no like this food"...
I was completely STUNNED...my boy eats everything!! well,...seems like his molars are bugging him- any teeth?
Any illness?
I'm just sort of rolling with the punches and not forcing the issue. I just give him 3 choices on his plate and let him pick. It's better this week.
Hugs!

[deb]

Must be something in the water - this last week Natalie has decided she doesn't like corn on the cob - she won't even eat it OFF the cob! She's been eating corn on the cob for YEARS! WTF?!?!? As far as I can make out, her texture issues (is highly resistant to food with "specks," which are usually seeds, so nothing with caraway and no berries!) are to blame: If we miss one hair of corn silk while husking it, well, there goes the appeal of corn. No matter that she's been eating corn - WITH the odd corn silk hair - since she could hold a cob of corn.

Might it me something similar, where she's just noticing something that bugs her?

I'm thinking another thing Nat's going thru right now is that just after this corn refusal started, she DID suddenly start eating other foods she'd normally turned up her nose at, including zucchini and OKRA (both of which have seeds.... ), so maybe it has to do with feeling in control of one's environment and beginning to make decisions because one can?

[We Three]

Hmmm...you all bring up such interesting points.  I hadn't thought that she might not be feeling 100%...no symptoms that I can see...but I'll keep a close eye on that.  Maybe she is coming down with something? 

No teeth that I'm aware of...what a bad mommy I am...doesn't she have all her teeth?      I thought she did...it sure looks like it when we brush them.           She ate graham crackers today...organic ones that are real crunchy....so I don't think her mouth hurts.  ?

Deb, we have had those experiences too....Amelia seems to have "total recall" with regards to what happened the last time, iykwim.  Like, in the past I have made pasta with sauce, and snuck in some meat (dd despises meat) and she found just one molecule of meat in there, I could forget about serving pasta for a long, long time.   She remembers everything...so that gives me something to think about. Maybe I try to sneak her stuff too often?? I have only been caught a few times...maybe she's just getting smarter??

Perhaps she is just a control thing....but then I wonder why she looked genuinely offended by these foods.

Maybe it's as simple as she is getting nearer to 3.....and is exploring the control issues like Deb said.

I guess if it keeps up tomorrow, I'll go back to basics like Mutka says...and also I like Anna's idea of having her help prepare the food...I like that alot.  Maybe I'll have her stand in front of the fridge and have a look and see what she wants to pick out. I hope that helps...because if I cut up one more piece of fruit to have her say "I don't yike this kind..."....I will scream.   

[Peek-a-boo]

I agree with Stacy. 

If DS asks for a snack or food for a meal, and then when I serve it rejects it, I don't make him something different.  I don't make a big deal about it or try to force or cajole him into eating it.  I just am matter of fact and say, "Okay.  I'll leave this here (or in the fridge) if you change your mind.  Otherwise you can have something different when it's (fill in next meal time)."

I never want food to be an issue, but I also don't want to teach him that it's okay to be carelessly wasteful, nor do I want it to turn into a game/power struggle of changing his mind a million times while I prepare an 8 course meal for him iykwim.   

[We Three]

I agree with you, peek-a-boo, but my concern was more about the sudden-ness of it all, and how she has never acted like this before. She is a great eater, and this came out of nowhere.  I was more concerned trying to figure out what was wrong and why she was doing this so suddenly.

I expalined to her this morning that we can't be wasteful...I think she gets this on some level, since we talk about turning off the water so we don't waste.  She asked for waffles for brekkie...I explained to her that I was happy to make her waffles, but that she couldn't change her mind once I made them. I asked her if she was sure, she said she was, and she ate them, and asked for seconds.

She kind of has a stuffy nose this morn.....maybe she isn't feeling well after all....   

[speechie]

Oh,...hugs to your LO.
Hope she isn't coming down with anything.
BTW, Deb brought up a good point about sensitivities. Some people are hypersensitive to textures, fabrics, etc. Here is a link about it for anyone who is going through it. It's an interesting read, even if it doesn't apply to your LO!
http://babywhispererforums.com/index.php?topic=133370.0