2.5 month old screams at nap time

[Chance51]

I have a 2.5 month old who has always been challenging to get to sleep. I'm looking for some advice on how to make getting him down for naps less miserable for everyone.

Currently he sleeps ok at night but daytime naps are a real battle. When I see him showing tired cues or after an hour to an hour and a half I swaddle him, cradle him in my arms, then sing him a lullaby and play white noise. Either immediately or within a few minutes of starting this he starts screaming, scratching at his face, and writhing. This can last for a couple of minutes - after which he'll drop off to sleep - or for up to 10 minutes, at which point I normally give up trying to get him to nap as I can't bear the crying.

He has always fought sleep, and even though he settles well at night and sleeps for 2-5 hours at a time, I think his daytime sleep is so poor he is perpetually over-tired. Even at a few days old the midwives in hospital commented on how difficult to settle he was.

Are there any other ways I could try getting him to sleep during the day? I'm worried he's getting a really negative association with falling asleep. He will nap in the car and the sling, but with the same pattern as when I hold him - lots of crying and scratching at his face before he falls asleep.

Just to add, these are the things I have tried so far (with no success):

• leaving him to 'drift off' alone in his Moses basket or cot
• putting him in Moses basket to sleep and laying a hand on his chest, or stroking his cheek, hand, etc..
• dark and silent room
• not swaddling
• holding him in different positions (on my shoulder, chest, and on his tummy on my forearm)
• bouncing and rocking
• patting his back or bottom

Mine is the same at the moment but some days he's really good at going down.
He's 12 weeks and I put him in a swaddle, feed him and then hes asleep and I put him down.
Not tonight though...

Maybe baby wearing? When my baby was feeling grumpy but fighting naps I’d pop her in the stretchy wrap and get on with some housework. She’d usually fall asleep before long.

Our boy/girl 3 month old twins are sometimes like this, it just seems to be because they are tired and fighting it. It is like they don’t understand that they just need to close their eyes and relax. I don’t like the crying either but I know it is because they need to sleep so always persist with rocking/bouncing (which my two need 99% of the time to get to sleep). By holding them I am also comforting them which isn’t the same as leaving them to cry in their cot.