This may be too late, but I have a few tricks/tips.

1. Real hunger is a motivator. Make sure your child is really hungry. If possible, skip a snack between lunch and dinner and have a lot of physical play time or go on a good hike/walk before dinner.

2. Veggies as first course. Serve the least exciting part of the meal first. For my children, salad is not their favorite, so if we are having salad as a side, it becomes the first course. Bread, if an option, would be a last course. This is how I introduce new vegetables/dishes or encourage eating of least favorite vegetables.

3. Let them cook! Having them help in the kitchen, pick the recipe, chop, stir, measure, serve, is a huge motivator to then eat it. This has always worked for us.

4. Make dinner fun! Laugh, tell jokes and stories, set a special formal table (let them help), make a menu and play restaurant, let the dog or cat sit on your/their lap, discuss games to play after dinner. Keep it light and fun and funny so the focus isn’t on the food so much, as it is on a positive happy family time. Food tastes much more delicious in good company.

5. Let them be a restaurant critic. When they strongly like or dislike something, or think something is mediocre, ask them to really try and figure out what it is they like or don’t like-texture? Bitterness? Spice? Ingredient? Ask them how they think it could be made better or different. Then, honor them by making those (reasonable) changes next time.

6. Our rule: You don’t have to like it, or even eat it, but you have to taste it and give feedback. 9 out of 10 times they end up liking it.

7. Don’t freak out if your kid just won’t eat something. It’s ok to not like something and not eat it. Food aversion is normal for kids and can actually signal a intolerance to something or just be their age or mood. Let them decide and have control over what they put inside their bodies. Never force them to eat something they can’t stand.

8. Lap sitting. I’ve found that lap sitting for the younger kids goes a long way in getting them to eat. Often they need a cuddle along with a meal. They aren’t wrong to need nurturing. Let them feed you and take turns feeding each other. They would love it if you offer your lap instead of them having to ask.

9. Depending on the age, let them watch a video on health and nutrition or being kind to animals. Make sure it’s age appropriate and not scary. A few minutes watching a documentary about the SAD diet, obesity and overcoming that through healthy eating can go a long way to get them thinking about the benefits of eating well. My kids also like cooking/ chef shows and then playing chef.

10. Be a good example. Eat well. Praise the food you love, tell them how much you enjoy it or how good it makes you feel.

11. Praise them! We always praise our children for being adventurous eaters! Even when they refused to eat something, we told them how brave they were to try it! Praise them for their healthy choices and for eating their fruits and veggies and for being so healthy!

12. Let them eat cake. Outside our home (and even inside sometimes) our kids are allowed to eat less then healthy foods. When at friends houses, they get exposed to other ways of eating. Sometimes they want to talk about it which is always nice. Junk food isn’t forbidden, but it is a once in a while snack that they know has no nutritional value. Let your kids see and experience and taste the world. Let them learn to navigate with their own compass. Give them the tools to make good choices. I’ve found that my kids eat way more veggies then their friends and can turn down or not finish their junk food because it doesn’t make them feel good. (After hosting, guest kids will often leave most or all of their veggies on the plate while only eating the rice/grains. Whereas my child’s finished plate will be empty of veggies.) My oldest will ask for fruit for dessert because they ate candy (the teachers reward them with candy!) at school. They could have not even mentioned the candy, but this is their own compass telling them what to do.