Here's something most parents miss about picky eating:

Your child will happily eat chicken nuggets at their friend's house but won't touch them at your dinner table. They'll eat carrots at daycare but act like you're serving poison at home.

This isn't defiance. It's not about your cooking. And it's usually not a sensory issue.

It's context-based eating.

Kids respond to environmental cues more than we realize — who's at the table, how much pressure they feel, what time it is, what happened before the meal, even the lighting. Change the context, change the behavior.

The problem is that most parents try to fix the food (hiding veggies, making elaborate meals, bribing with dessert) when the real lever is the environment.

Three things to try this week:

• Track location patterns — does your kid eat the same food differently at home vs. elsewhere? Write it down for 5 days.

• Remove mealtime pressure — no "just try one bite." Put the food on the table and eat your own plate. Let them observe.

• Change one variable — eat outside, let them serve themselves, or invite a friend over for dinner. See what shifts.

Most parents see a pattern within a week. Once you see it, you can fix it — without the stress.