THis is a bit of a vent and a plea for support..

Ok so I've been trying solids with DD for the past month and finally she's been showing interest, she grabs it eagerly and chews on it, but she still hasn't learnt how to swallow, which is really bugging me, how long does it take?

Secondly, I really dread these little meal times with her because of the mess. I REALLY hate the mess. Even with a bib, soggy food bits end up down her top, all over her clothes, all over my lap, all over the couch and on the floor, and I can't even clean it up efficiently, coz as soon as I put her down to pick up the thousands of crumbs on my own clothes, she's already crawled into another room, smushing the food bits all through the carpet everywhere around the house.
I know babies make a mess but seriously, how do you guys handle it? It drives me INSANE especially as it doesn't feel worthwhile seeing as she doesn't actually swallow anything anyway!!

I know when it gets warmer it will be easier coz we can do it outside with just a singlet on, but that's ages away, my sanity will be gone.

I also feel like I really don't have time to prepare her food and deal with all the mess, so have skipped days; is this bad? Am I supposed to diligently offer solids every single day?

And she is so uninterested in BF these days. And her day naps have become scarce, and her night sleeps have changed from 2-3 hunger wakings to like 5 random who knows why wakings. She is also acting really hyperactive all the time. Happy hyperactive, but hyper all the same. (She is exclusively BF and the only solids I've offered are steamed broccoli, carrot, roasted parsnip, wholemeal bread from bakery, mashed avocado)

I've got a whole lot of questions here, I'll sum it up:

1. Am I supposed to offer solids every single day or can I skip days if I don't have the time?
2. Does anyone else dread the mess and wish it was easier?
3. How long does it take before she learns how to actually swallow?
4. Any ideas why she is acting so hyper? (My diet is quite healthy, minimal additives and flavourings, no junkfood, the solids I offer her are healthy and additive free also, she is not on Farax or anything like that)
5. Why is she always screaming at my boobs and sleeping badly?

TIA ladies. I feel miserable