Weaning struggles since 6month

How are you feeding them, puree or BLW?

How soon after milk are you offering food?

Babies at 8.5 months dont eat much. Milk is still their main source. My son hated purees and spoons but loved holding things.

It wasnt until around 13/14 months that I noticed a massive change in food.

At 8mo I started with breakfast and skipped the morning milk offering it about 30 mins after trying food or when they were giving obvious hunger cues.

What does he want to eat? His usual milk? Maybe he is not ready yet for normal food. Some babies, especially boys, do take their time on reaching every new milestone. Mine one is 18 months and is a very fussy eater. He always was. He prefers his milk formula over anything else. He does tend to eat a bit more in nursery, probably because he sees other kids doing it.
Do your best and offer him a variety of foods so he can be curious and try. If all fails, maybe talk to your GP or health visitor. Is the food too spicy, or too hot, too cold? Is he having bad reflux?

One thing to check is the plate he is eating from. I used to use silicon ones and cutlery too until I noticed they absorbed the soap from the dishwasher and the food tasted horrible in them. I binned everything and got him metal plates or he eats from our usual plates with good quality cutlery for him too.