1. Am I supposed to offer solids every single day or can I skip days if I don't have the time? offer something small when you eat - if you only sit down for 10 minutes over your lunch, give her something while you prepare yours, then sit her in high chair while you eat

2. Does anyone else dread the mess and wish it was easier? ok, you've mentioned couch, floor etc - do you have a set seat for her? a high chair? my DD made a mess, but it was contained to her, her high chair and her messy mat. we would clean her off before taking her out of the high chair, then send her in one direction while cleaning high chair and messy mat. she is now 14 months and makes minimal mess when feeding herself (except with fried rice - fried rice is just messy lol)

3. How long does it take before she learns how to actually swallow? that depends on the kidlet. if she isn't swallowing, it's a sign that she isn't ready to swallow it yet. that's why BLS are so good - they will only eat what they want. every bit of experimentation before they swallow is helping them learn about texture, taste, temperature etc

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) she is hitting developmental milestones every day - she is no longer a little caterpillar that is stuck in one place - she is wanting to move and do things - and her own limitations are frustrating the bejeepers out of her! imagine wanting to move cos you know you can do it, but not being able to coordinate your bits and pieces to actually do it! add to that the fact she may be starting to teeth, wonderweeking etc - it's not unusual for bubbas to get unsettled

5. Why is she always screaming at my boobs and sleeping badly? have you checked to see if she is in pain at all? my DD started wanting more milk around the same time - not so much for the milk, more for the comfort. again, all the developmental stuff i think. she wanted the comfort of being near me, and milk did that. i think it must be pretty damn scary to have all that developing going on! yes, it's not ideal, but it's something that i think most of us go through


on the start of your post - where you mentioned waste and mess - i guess i don't see the food that isn't "swallowed" as waste - i see it as a way for her to learn. we have been lucky in that we can offload everthing to the dogs and not be bothered - but even the food they couldn't eat, it was just a part of her development. it wasn't like we were going to massive extra expense - she has always just eaten what we eat so it was food we would have bought anyway - we just took a little from our plates and shared with her. even now, it isn't any more exxy to feed her cos we just stretch things out a bit more