Need help on this new phase of hers

[LittlePink]

2.2 yr old DD has started something that is really annoying me. She holds food in her mouth for ages and at some point when shes ready, whenever that may be, she spits it out all over herself and whoever it is near her. I thought at first she was being sick but then realised shes actually holding the food in her mouth and ejecting it when shes ready.

We made a cake just now and I let her have a piece and to the time of writing a mouthful of it is sitting in her mouth and she wont open her mouth or swallow it.

I don't want her to get in the habit of spitting out food she doesn't want as all weekend we've kind of pandered to it and let her spit it out into a piece of kitchen roll but its just made the problem worse and more prolonged. Ive tried sitting her in time out until shes swallowed it but its no good. C beebies is banned for the rest of day until she can learn to eat her food properly. I don't know what else to do.

Shes not ill but she has got a tooth coming through at the back so perhaps its just a teething thing but its sooooo irritating!

Any ideas on how I deal with this? Do i let her spit it out into kitchen roll every time and hope she gets bored of it? This is the 4th day of it now.

[Lifesalemon]

I know you will probably have checked but it sounds like she may have a sore throat and it hurts to swallow.

[CorporateRockWhore]

Oh, I just remembered DD did this when she was about the same age!

It started when she took a bite of food that was too hot, I held out my hand for her to spit it out and she then took that as the start of a great game...

It's hard but I wouldn't help her to keep doing it. Just keep saying no, we don't do that, eat nicely, etc. she'll get bored eventually

[LittlePink]

We did wonder if it was a sore throat that was causing it over the weekend but shes absolutely fine in herself, no temperature. Shes had a friend here this morning and was chomping away on snacks quite happily but when its just her and me or DH she starts this annoying carry on.

[CorporateRockWhore]

Sounds like she's realised that doing it gets attention then. Ignore, ignore, ignore and heap praise on her for eating nicely.

[ImATotJeSuisUneTot]

My DD2 is now 2.5, and she did this for a small period of time too, until we realised, as PPs have said, its attention. If she does it now we completely ignore, pointedly make different conversation. She sometimes does it once more, but when she realises its not working, she stops.