Forcing, bribing, and negotiating over food usually backfires long-term. The most effective approach is removing food as a battleground entirely — offer, don't force, and let appetite regulate itself over days, not meals.
Every evening becomes the same fight. You've made something nutritious, your child pushes it around the plate, and forty minutes later you're negotiating — one more bite for a story, finish the roti and you can watch TV. By the time dinner is "done," everyone's exhausted and nobody's actually enjoyed the meal.
Here's the thing that's hard to accept in the moment: children regulate their appetite over days, not single meals. A child who eats very little at dinner often makes up for it at breakfast or the next day. When we panic over one skipped meal, we accidentally teach food to be a source of tension rather than nourishment.