I'd be curious about the rationale this family has.  As long as the child
was healthy, growing and developing as expected for age, I don't think I
would much care when the parents introduced solids, but I would be very
curious about how she planned to handle it when the child took the
initiative to try them.  

A friend of mine breastfed one of her children close to exclusively for
about two years.  She had her reasons which she shared on request, and I was
convinced that they were substantial. They were very specific to this child.
 While we all thought it was unusual and maybe a bit odd, nobody could claim
he was undernourished and when he did start solids, he ate more like a
well-adjusted adult than a toddler: willing to try new things, focused on
eating when he was hungry, didn't have to be cajoled into eating and didn't
play with his food or make messes.  He was also a remarkably self-possessed
child.  I have not kept in close touch with her in recent years, so I don't
know what kind of an adolescent he is turning out to be, but when I saw him
as a six year old he seemed fine.  More than fine. He acted as though he was
used to being taken seriously.  As far as I know she introduced solids
around six months with all her other children.

I can understand why we all think this is odd, because it is so different to
what we are used to, but even then I couldn't understand why it bothered
others so much, when the child was so clearly thriving.  They did not forbid
him to eat other things, and they ate in his presence, and he never showed
any urgent curiosity.  Her health visitor was extremely worried about his
iron status, but when my friend suggested they check by doing a blood test,
she was treated as though she was slightly off her rocker and the test was
never done.  I found this unfathomable too. 

Rachel Myr
Kristiansand, Norway

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