Issues settling to sleep

I am looking for some ideas as to why Ben might be hard to settle to sleep.
When he was smaller he was wrapped, I would rock him till drowsy, with the dummy and put him down and he would often settle himself to sleep from there. He would sometime feed to sleep as well.

Since New Year we have been having major problems. He started teething then and it would often take us 2-3hrs to settle him to sleep at bedtime - he cut 6 teeth in about 6wks! Then he slowly got harder to settle at naps which we resolved a bit by keeping him up a little longer.
To settle him I generally stand and rock him or pace the floor, occasionally he will feed to sleep. But often, mostly bedtime but some nap times I end up pushing him in the pushchair to get him to sleep - he just arches his back and often screams if I am holding him so the pushchair is the answer as he quietens down. Sometimes I have to do this for nap times as well.

All I can think of is that the heat is affecting him and he doesn't like being held. I have the fan going in his room but it is still really humid. I don't like CC or CIO and am happy to help him to sleep but he just won't let me . I have tried patting his back etc in the cot but he just thinks it's play time and tries to roll around, yet if I put him in the pushchair he is asleep 5mins later.

Any ideas on what I can do or why this might be happening? Using the pushchair all the time is not ideal

ETA: He is also only having 3x30-40min naps a day whereas he used to sleep at least an hr, sometimes up to 2.5hrs. Often it seems that he wakes with a dirty nappy, there have been heaps of those since he really started eating a few weeks ago (we are doing BLW).

Edited by Linzy

Linzy - when you say he occasionally feeds to sleep, could you clarify? As in, he will sometimes accept it sometimes not? Or feeds and falls asleep and other times feeds and is tired but still awake?

The humidity has been playing merry havoc here too, as well as teeth - could he have a big developmental milestone coming up?

And I know you say he doesn't like being held / rocked to sleep but what about in a sling? You could have a go at back carries, which is the hold I find easiest to get on with things.

Good luck hun, I know how challenging it can be, but you are doing an amazing job !!

HippyMama - sometimes he will feed and fall asleep, others feed and then be calmer but not really drowsy and others he just doesn't want to know and will arch his back and get sh*tty with me.
I hadn't thought about milestones. He has only just started eating with the BLW in the last few weeks and recently been sitting well. Crawling is a way off I think
I can't wear him in a sling, he is too heavy. He must be 8.5-9kg now and I am a smallish person. 5min in the front pack and he is killing me

Chickielou - the dummy helps but it doesn't seem to be able to settle him to sleep on it's own, especially as he often takes it out and plays with it. I have been putting socks on his hands to try and at least make it a little harder to do this!

HeidisMum - I have tried leaving him for a while but he always seems to play. I probably haven't left him long enough to see if he will eventually fall asleep. I have had several problems with Jack (and still do, well some would see them as problems, we just go with it now), so I can't really just leave Ben as I never relax until I know he is asleep.
I have the "No Cry Sleep Solution" and will try and get a chance to read that. If that doesn't work then may borrow your nap book, thanks!

Please forgive me as I mean this with a little bit of cheek - if he is too heavy then you haven't got the right sling In all seriousness though, if you have a frontpack (Elite?) I am not surprised it is wearing on you - would you be able to come to a Slingbabies meet? They are at the Sturges West community house, and through the sling library you could find a carrier that might be more comfortable - just an idea though.

Linzy, if I were you I'd definetly head along to a slingbabies meeting, there are lots of knowledgeable ladies that can help you out and lots of pretty carriers I wish I was in Auckland!

We have a Beco and I and DH can comfortably carry DD at 10.5kgs. Both front and back carries. Often if she is unsettled, I pop her on my back and within 5mins or so shes out to it - then if I want, I take the carrier off, pull her out and put her in bed. I wouldn't be without my carrier. A wrap would still work although I haven't used mine for a while.

Anyway, I hope you find something that works - in all honesty, we are going through a challenging phase at the moment, DD will not fall asleep without me, screams blue-murder if I leave the room and is waking overnight fairly often. It is hard-going!

OK, will try and make it to the next meeting in March. I did look at getting an Ergo before Ben was born, thought it would be handy at playcentre and when I am following Jack around but couldn't justify the expense when I didn't know if I would use it.

I haven't had to use the pushchair for any of his naps today, although it is a little cooler

Well sleeping is going alot better at the moment. I didn't have to use the pushchair at all yesterday and haven't for either of his naps today, I think it must be the heat and the fact that it was too hot for me to hold him. He is settling alot easier and quicker today so if it continues for a few more days then I will try and move beck to self settling. I have started wrapping him again and he has had 1x1.5hr nap and he has now been asleep for nealy 1.5hrs! He slept pretty well last night tho, did a 6hr stretch and didn't wake till 7am (has been 6.15am lately) so will try not to wrap him at night which is when he normally wriggles so that the wrap is around his neck. Will try again later to wean the wrap, he is obviously not ready.

Hippy Mama, maybe you could PM me about your Ergo, would be interested in the details