Hi and welcome to COL
Lots of people advise against puppy pads altogether because they can cause confusion in the puppy's mind about where it should pee and poo. Some will advise making his night time space in the crate small so that he has space to lay down but not much more, thereby discouraging him from peeing or pooping in his bed.
Last time I had a puppy he was in a pen at night (hated his crate) and I put pads down at night time. My take on it was that I'd work really hard at getting him clean in the day time by taking him out very frequently, but I'd sooner he slept through the night with puppy pads than get himself in a state by being in a small space and trying to hold on before he was physically capable of doing so. He very quickly learned that the garden was the place to pee and poo in the daytime. He was slower to be clean through the night, but I didn't worry about that. Once he was physically capable of going 7 or 8 hours through the night without using the pads he stopped using them and was clean through the night.
In the daytime try taking him out every time he wakes up, or has been playing for a while, or has eaten a meal, and in between times too. Stay with him until he pees or poops and then tell him how clever he is. If he's distracted by exploring the garden could you temporarily fence off a boring area of the garden for him to use while toilet training? If he doesn't pee or poo within a few minutes bring him back in the house and keep him very close to you, watching him like a hawk, for several minutes. immediately you see him circling or sniffing take him back out.
When he has an accident in the house don't tell him off or show any signs of frustration. Puppies are sensitive and pick up on facial expressions and body language as well as verbal communication. If he associates peeing/pooping when you're around with you getting cross he won't want to pee or poo outside when you're with him and may start peeing and pooping in places where you can't see him! Just clean up with a non ammonia product when he has an accident.
Teach him a cue. I use "go pee" and taught it by initially waiting until the puppy was mid pee or poo before saying it. Once the puppy associates the cue with the action you can use it to encourage him to pee and poo when and where you want. It's useful with my adult dogs when I want to make sure they pee or poo before I go out or before bedtime.
Looking forward to hearing more about your puppy, and hopefully seeing some photos too