This is driving me insane. My 5-year-old daughter ate mac and cheese literally twice a week for two years. Now she won't touch it. Says it "looks weird" now. Same with chicken nuggets, pizza crust, anything with texture apparently. Meanwhile she's discovered she loves sushi? Make it make sense.
The "looks weird" comment is actually a texture/visual preference thing kicking in. Instead of forcing it, let her help pick a NEW food she'd want to try. Takes the power struggle out of it. My 5yo went through this and once she felt like she was choosing, she relaxed about eating.
This is so normal and also so infuriating. My pediatrician said kids' palates actually change constantly between 4-8 and we just have to keep offering foods without making it a battle. Doesn't make the 'looks weird' comment less annoying though.
Texture thing. Kids' taste buds change but also texture suddenly bothers them. My 5yo did the SAME mac and cheese thing. Started cutting it into different shapes and she ate it again. Weird but it worked.
Don't power struggle over it. Just serve what you're serving, no comments, and they'll come back to it eventually. My kids all went through weird food phases and fought it every time I tried to convince them something was still good.
The 'looks weird' thing is her way of asserting control when she doesn't have much of it anywhere else. Annoying but try not to make meals a battle. She might come back to it in 3 months, might take a year.
This is actually a legit developmental thing that happens around 4-5. My pediatrician said it's usually temporary but the worst thing you can do is make meal time stressful. We got boring - chicken nuggets rejected? Cool, here's a turkey sandwich instead. No drama.
Wait you said pizza crust too? Thats oddly specific combo. Is she doing okay otherwise? Not trying to be alarmist but my coworker's kid went through a sudden food rejection phase and it was actually anxiety related, not just being picky.
Same boat with my 5yo. She's decided like 6 foods are "baby food" and refuses them now even though she ate them for years. I think it's a developing independence thing? Like she's asserting she's not a baby anymore by rejecting "baby" foods.
Don't make it a battle. Seriously. My friend's kid did this and they turned dinner into a standoff every night. Kid ended up with actual food anxiety. We just keep offering the stuff without pressure and they usually come back to it in like 2-3 months.
This is so normal it's crazy. Pediatrician told us kids go through "food neophobia" phases where familiar stuff suddenly becomes suspicious. My 6yo did the exact same mac and cheese flip. We just... stopped making it for a few weeks and suddenly she wanted it again. Weird but it passed.
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My 6yo is doing the same thing with pizza. Will eat plain cheese pizza but the moment you put sauce on the same bread it's 'gross.' Kids are chaotic. I stopped caring and just make sure she's eating SOMETHING healthy.