Won’t calm down

[AnaQ]

So ever since we started doing a wind down routine at about 5 weeks (DS is now 8.5 weeks) it has been a battle to get him to calm down! As soon as we start swaddling he starts getting worked up. Then we move onto the sitting portion and he will NOT relax. He works himself up into a frenzy and in my head I envision a baby who maybe fusses a little but soon calms and relaxes into you as you sit there calmly.. well not my son. He stiffens his whole body and cries and is the farthest thing from relaxed. I am concerned with accidental parenting and props and stuff so I really try not to give him props although I will say I have been experimenting with different things to help him calm down.. I’ve tried walking around the room in the dark with white noise and he calms and relaxes but as soon as I sit it’s into the frenzy. I have tried shush patting while we sit there but that rarely works to calm him but it does stop him from having a meltdown. The paci works if I pop that in and sit with him but I don’t love that.. I guess I’m looking for advice from anyone who has  a baby who didn’t enjoy the recommended wind down routine and what tweaks I could do to still promote prop-free sleep training (he has a paci so I guess not totally prop free). Is the paci my simple solution or is there any other tweaks? He seems to calm only with any sort of movement but that kind of defeats the purpose of the sitting still.. any thoughts?
His wake time is around 50 mins and I’m slowly extending it over the next few weeks. He doesn’t do anything overly stimulating in his life. The most stimulating activity is watching his sister and dogs run around playing or watching his mobile.

[regina1987m]

Hi! I have not much expertise, but would you post your day? Maybe I can help, sounds like my baby!

[AnaQ]

This has been how I try to schedule our days..

E/a 6:30/7
S 7:15/7:45 (depends on morning wake time)
E/a 10
S 10:50
E/a 12:30
S 1:20
E/a 3:30
S 4:20 (this nap is usually rough as he doesn’t always sleep well)
A 5:15-6 depending on how nap went; eating at 6
S 6:30 bed (or 7 if the nap went well but it usually doesn’t)
8:30 & 11pm feeds; 1-2 motn feeds

We don’t do much haha it’s my 2 year old daughter, me & him (husband works from home so helps when absolutely becessary but usually doing his own thing). We chill and read, tummy time, mobile time, cuddles, bath time.. that’s kind of all we do in our days while he is awake