How to calm 11 week old so I can pat/shush

[jacq1101]

Hi,
I've started patting my 11 week old to sleep.  it kind of works but it takes ages to get him to the stage when he's calm and slowly zoning out.  He's either crying or just moving about constantly, looking around, constantly trying to get to his little fists which are wrapped in his wrap.  What can I do to help calm him down so that he can concentrate on going to sleep?  I've tried giving him a paci which sometimes works to stop him trying to get to his fists.  But I can't always stop the wriggling around.  It can take up to 30 minutes to get him to the zoning stage.  I'm pretty sure that he is tired as I have looked out for tired signs so I don't think he is not tired.  At the end of the day, it may be that he is overtired.  Also, if he wakes up and needs to be resettled, I face the same issues and he is very hard to resettle again.  Any tips?
Jacqui

[Shellha]

Hi Jacqui

I had to modify pat/shh for my DS as he is a wriggler too! He hated being swaddled so that stopped at 6 weeks, but I put my arm across his legs at knee height with downward pressure to stop him wriggling and kicking off. This helps to stop the cycle of him getting revved up and has helped him to sleep better. I also pat him gently on the tummy as I could never get him to be comfy on his side.

Hope this helps

M

[Jaime]

also, could his room be too bright & distracting?  maybe cover the window with foil or posterboard to make it nice & dark