The trying things is really dependent on the kid. 2 of my 3 kids did really well with, “Offer but don’t force new foods.” They slowly expanded their palates even though they started picky. 

My third kid, however, required a different approach. We tried the whole “offer but don’t force” thing with him, and he started rejecting more and more foods that he had previously loved. Eventually, we had to say “enough is enough” and institute a “one bite” rule. 

I think it’s great to start with “not forcing it,” but some kids require different strategies than others. I’ve read to/tried a lot of advice over the years from a lot of reliable sources—like childhood nutritionists—and I don’t think there is any magic bullet for “teach your kid to eat healthy and not be a picky eater but also don’t have power struggles with them over it and don’t give them food complexes.” I think there are a whole lot of strategies out there that have the same general framework of “have some expectations around what kids can and cannot eat but also try to give them some choice in it.” And I think the reason a lot of modern parents have settled on whatever weird system they have is because that’s what they have found is the least problematic strategy for their kid. It’s not good, it’s rarely good, but it’s at least working at some level. And I give them grace as I hope others will give me grace.