Michelle,
        I have a lovely 6' tall 19 year old who did not eat solids until his
second year of life.  We have pictures of him with his 1st birthday cake --
banana cake with whipped apple sauce.  I had hopes some of the apple sauce
would enter his mouth but he smeared it all over his face, finger painted
the cake and was happy.  He ate NONE of it.  Somewhere around 14 mos he
began to eat solids.  Because of a difficult birth he was iron deficient by
3 months so I was supplimenting tiny amounts of iron.  Fortunately for me I
had a physician who was strongly of the opinion that infants should start
solids on their own schedule even if that meant not until their second year
of life -- and no the physician was not particularily knowledgeable or
supportive of breastfeeding. I have since seen several children who started
solids late and I have a theory -- not based on any research that I can
remember -- that these are children who are either allergy prone or
allergic. They may be sending us a message that either a) their system is
not yet ready for solids and we can ask ourselves is this slow development
or a greater problem or b)solids are unpleasant, they are already reacting!
The few fully breastfed atopic allergy kids I have seen I have asked the
moms how and when they started solids.  They have always (anecdotal -
coincidence?) related refusal of early (6-9mos) solids and/or dislike of
solids. I figure nature has its reasons, forcing cereal on kids to deal with
anaemia is blind, uncontrolled medicating - use iron drops where the dose
can be more regulated remembering that the dosages recommended on the bottle
are for formula kids not breastfed ones!
        Anyway that is my hobby horse of the day -- any comments/thoughts?
Rhoda :)
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