Sleeping in carrier

[Rumpleteaser]

I'm looking for opinions and suggestion on what I'm doing with my DS during the day.

My DS is 3 months old and does not settle well for his day time sleeps. I have tried a couple of different methods. I have tried putting him down once he has fallen asleep on me, he generally wakes in less than 10 mins. He gets longer streches of sleep if I put him on his side or his stomach, but concerned about SIDS risk, (DH is a smoker so that is 1 extra risk factor). I have done the put down awake, pat untill asleep, patting each time he moved untill he was fully asleep, again he settled quicker if on tummy or side. His sleep cycle is about 40 mins. He will only do this for me once a day, after that he just cries if I try this method. I generally wrap him If I am going to try to put him down (as per SIDS guideline) if I put him on his tummy his arms are free. He doesn't like his arms being restricted, when I have done this he wiggles and cries till he has them free, so I wrap him and tuck his hand into "pockets" that I have made in the wrap.

The best method for day time sleeps are to put him in his baby carrier/sling and to continue whatever it is I'm doing. Once he is settled I can sit down and relax, but if I sit before he has settles he will start to cry again.

At night we generally don't have a problem. I put him down awake at 8.30pm, he self settles, will wake anywhere from 3-5 hrs later (3 more often than not), gets BF then back down. As the night progresses he gets harder to settle, so by 4 pm he need to be cuddled and patted for an hour before I can put him down, but he will be awake an hour later. Then he needs to be pretty much strapped to me if he is to sleep.

So my question is, is what I'm doing considered a reasonable method for day sleeps or am I setting myself up for trouble ahead?
I am concerned about him getting too big to carry, I have had a couple of headaches from the weight of the carrier on my shoulders.

[Smoke Jaguar]

If you were setting yourself up for trouble ahead, then I should now be tearing my hair out and holding my back in agony from carrying a 2 and a nearly half year old to sleep for day and night sleeps...and I'm not!
I did the HAB and Ergo carrying till he fell asleep (too soon a transfer and he'd wake, so he'd have to be 'properly asleep'!), too. And I'd have to keep the HAB (used till 5 months) by the bed handy for if DS woke during the night - would only have to jiggle him for a few minutes before he'd nod off again after another feed.
For daysleeps, we could lay down beside him and feed to sleep (or DP lay beside and cuddle) from about 12 months...can't remember exactly. Put it this way, it seems like such a long time ago and that was only last year - so what seems like a real trial now is just a blip on the timescale, and DS will thank you (even on the subtlest level!!) for not forcing the sleep issue at this point in time. My DS only has argy bargy about sleep when DP offers to put him to bed now, because DP's pride, or something, got in the way for a while back there and he would insist on staying with a crying, screaming little boy and not let me take over. Bad move. Now we use 'Daddy Nigh-nigh's' as a threat if he's resisting bed all together, cos he quickly says 'No, mummy bed, bye Daddy' and trots off to bed with me in tow! DP set that up by himself, he could have avoided that bad night time association if he'd listened to me
What kind of carrier do you have? The HAB was perfect because it evenly distributed the weight. The ring sling was good because I'd use it at night, where the jiggling would only be for short periods. The Ergo worked later on because of size and weight dist. and also because I could give a BF with him in it.
2 years later, little boy goes to sleep in his own bed next to our bedroom (with the help of boob, when I'm home, which is most of the time), wakes anywhere between 1.30 and 6.30 to come back into our bed and helps himself to boob, falling back asleep promptly. Before getting his own bed (this happened late Sept), I would feed him to sleep in our bed, he'd wake maybe 2, maybe 6 hours later and woud feed back to sleep easily unless he was unwell (and whose kid, co-sleeping, sling-worn or not, sleeps 'well' when sick? What adult does??).
So, your long-term prognosis is good, you needn't fret about this being how he'll need to get to sleep for years to come. No, his future wife will not need to be built of steel!! :P
You are doing what comes naturally and easiest for you both. Many would have you believe this is 'wrong', many of us here on BB will tell you that you are doing just what you need to be doing

[Rumpleteaser]

Thank you for your reply. I have a baby bojorn carrier, I have been finding it is making my shoulders ache and I have had a couple of headaches. My DS is just over 5 kg.
I have just bought a HAB, waiting for it to be delivered, since I have heard the ppl on here rave about them.

I don't co-sleep as my DH is a smoker, though my DS will occasionally join us after 4am, on my side. My DH is also too deep a sleeper, his pillow get shuffled in my direction and he has elbowed me in his sleeep.

Thanks for your reassurance, you just hear so much from CHN and peaeds Dr about it being a bad habit.

[Trillian]

If you do need to put him down in his bed for a sleep at times during the day instead of wearing him, it would be OK to put him on his tummy or side to sleep if that's what he prefers because you will be able to go and check on him kwim? Some babies just prefer to sleep that way. But once you get a HAB you should notice a difference in how it makes you feel and not worry about wearing him so much. Baby Bjorns are OK, but they really aren't much chop for wearing a baby all the time.