Why dosnt he want to drink any more?

[Lucylucy57]

I have an 8.5 month old DS who loves his food and happily eats three meals a day plus small snacks if he needs them. In recent weeks he has not wanted to drink his milk or water and pushes his bottles away or won't let me get the bottle into his mouth. I have to sneak it into his open mouth when he laughs or is distracted. After a second of 'get it out!' he suddenly realises he enjoys it and then drinks happily. He just won't seem to accept a drink without being tricked anymore. I'm concerned that he isn't getting enough milk. Some days I worry he dosnt get enough liquids at all. He isn't constipated thankfully but I worry he could easily become so at the moment.
This evening I had to fight to get his bedtime bottle in his mouth but when I did, he drank loads of it and fell straight asleep afterwards. Why does he continuously reject a drink when I know and he knows he wants one?

Could he be having pain from teething? That might cause him to be reluctant to have things in his mouth at the moment.

Possibly. He dosnt have any teeth yet. He's quite keen to stuff lots of other stuff into his mouth though and dosnt seem to have an issue when eating and chewing on his gums. It's really odd.

Have you tried him with a teething gel, like Dentinox, just before his bottle or ibuprofen about 20 mins before? Getting him while he is still sleepy from his nap might work too.