"I don't feel well"

[Lavender14]

Toddler is 2.5 and generally happy and healthy. This week he's started to say "I don't feel well" repeatedly and looking to go sit down. He seems completely fine otherwise bar a slightly runny nose no temp etc. I've asked where in his body he doesn't feel well and he can't answer this. Asked if he feels sick or sore and he says no. But he keeps bringing it up. Any tips on how to know if this is something he's just picked up and is pretending or if he actually doesn't feel well? He's saying it even when he's having fun and playing which is why I'm wondering...

Does he go to nursery?
If there are no actual symptoms, I’d assume he’s just picked up the phrase somewhere like nursery, and now he knows it gets a reaction from you (of concern) so is repeating it probably without really understanding what “feeling well” means.

I'd assume he picked it up at nursery too - DS used to often say he 'felt poorly' which isn't language that we used at all and he was always fine.

Almost certainly this. Little devil!

That was my suspicion! It seems to crop up a lot at the prospect of tidying up! But it was enough I didn't want to miss something either!!

I tried to take the ‘watch the behaviour, don’t focus on the words’ line when mine were younger. An unwell child won’t play and interact like a well one! If he’s acting normally, eating, sleeping etc I wouldn’t worry too much.