12 week old won't take naps at home

[SuziN]

My 12 week old is having difficulty staying asleep in his moses basket (or anywhere else) during daytime naps. It seems the only way to ensure he gets ANY daytime sleep is to take him out in the pram or in the car. Then he will usually stay asleep for up to 2 hours when we get home.
What usually happens when we have to be at home is, I'll watch for his sleepy signs - rubbing eyes, yawning etc, take him upstairs, close curtains, quiet time in rocking chair, dummy if he seems to want to suck. A lot of the time this works and he drifts of shortly after I put him in his moses basket. I can guarantee he will only sleep for 20 mins at most. Fair enough if he was waking having had enough sleep but he is obviously cranky and tired. Then we are usually into up to 2 hours of him screaming and me trying everything to comfort him back to sleep. Then it's time for next feed and the whole thing starts again next time he;s tired. Really feel at my wits end as I can't keep going out every time he needs to sleep and without enough sleep he's so cranky and doesnt feed well etc. What;s weird is he will go to sleep in the same place at night and stay asleep there from about 8pm-2am. Any ideas what I may be doing wrong or what may help? Sorry this is so long!

How about trying a combination. Keep trying with the sleeps at home but when you/he get desperate take him out. He will get the hang of it eventually. My DD changed where she wanted to sleep every few weeks - playmat, my arms, pram and eventually - her cot .

SuziN I am not too clear of my facts here so someone may be along later to say that I am talking rubbish but to me it sounds like during the day your LO is having difficulty making the transition from light sleep to deep sleep. If he always sleeps for 20mins and then wakens you could try timing his sleep and once he has been down for 15mins go into his room and as soon as he starts to stir or even slightly before! Start patting or sushing him whatever usually works to get him to sleep, hopefully this will help to keep him asleep and move him into the deeper phase of sleep and eventually he will learn to do this on his own. The reason he can do this when out is prob because the motion of the car helps him move into the deeper phase.

Hope this makes some sense to you and helps you and your LO get some rest.