Is 3mnths too old to start shush/pat?

[annam]

Have just started my 3 month old on EASY.  He has never been a good sleeper and I am using sh/pat to get him off to sleep.  He fights and cries and struggles but after 15-20 mins settles, as soon as I put him in his cot he cries and arches his back and I keep him there shush/patting until he falls asleep. Firstly, am I doing it right, secondly is he too old and should I do pu/pd instead?
He has never really had a strict routine although he has gradually got longer between feeds and has slept at roughly the same time in the day (2* 30 min naps max) and after many feeds and attempts at putting him down goes to sleep ar roughly 10.30 and sometimes only wakes once but can wake twice; when I have been feeding him and putting him back to sleep.
I started EASY yesterday and the day went pretty well except for the fighting at sleep time but the night was the worst in a long time with him waking between every 2-3hrs. Any advice??

[JennŠ]

Keep at it.  It can take a short while for lo to learn a new way to go off to sleep.  It does get easier though.  We never did go on to pu/pd as the patting worked just fine for dd.  You just need a bit of time to work out what works best for you little guy. 

[annam]

I am getting feeds in but have had to extend them so that he feeds for a good 20-25 mins.  He sometimes regurgitates quite a lot.  The 8pm and dream feed don't last long maybe 10-15 max.
So if I am sh/pat him and he starts to arch his back should I put him down?  And then pick him up again?  He doesn't really settle himself.  It is almost like he is resisting going to sleep every time.  I start the wind down, swaddle, sing and sit and he is nearly always crying by the sit if not before, so then I sh/pat until he is calm and relaxing then into cot when he cries again so I continue to sh/pat in cot.  Today for first time he opened his eyes in the cot after crying and I continued to sh/pat him to sleep, should I have left him to see if he went off on his own?  If I do that and he starts crying again do I then spend another 20 mins getting him back to sleep?  As you can see I am struggling!!  I am sure it is more straight forward than I am making it but you know when you are in the thick of it nothing seems to make sense?!
However, he has only woken once for two nights in a row at different times so this is improving, but then I start to wonder if he is having a growth spurt and hungry! The other night I sh/pat for nearly an hour and then fed him as it just wasn't working and I thought he must be hungry.  Was this wrong?

[annam]

Thank you for the replies, I am getting better at reading what works for him, it really depends on his moods, sometimes only holding and sh/pat works, sometimes just patting in the crib works best.  The other thing is it is really hard to get him to do the catnaps.  He normally spends the whole time with me trying to settle him and him crying.  Do I just dispense witht he catnaps altogether?  They are very short and he just won't settle in that time.  I have a feeling it is just too much sleep for him.  The length of sleep time on 3hr EASY just seems so much, especially after the very limited amount he used to get in the day.

[annam]

Just an update on my progress as I am addicted to this site.  Housework schmousework!! 6 full days in and we are both getting better, although he does have his ups nad downs he is getting better at feeding longer and getting quicker at going down for naps.  Nights are still a problem but I am not completely tackling this until the day routine is properly established.  I assume that as he is older he will take longer to get into good habits.  Still won't catnap but I am not forcing this, he has quiet time in his chair or with his dad instead.  Not there yet but definate progress is being made.