Early waking in infants and toddlers

Whilst babies and toddlers are by nature early to rise, waking up ready to start the day before 6am can be classed as early waking. Early mornings with babies and toddlers can often feel like a marathon, especially when they decide that 5 a.m. is the perfect time to start the day. So why does early waking occur and what can be done about it?

Causes and Solutions

1. Your child's bedtime

The most common cause of early waking is either a bedtime that is too late or the gap between your child's last nap and their bedtime being too long. Whilst it seems counterintuitive, going to bed 'too tired' often results in less sleep and early wake-ups. Have a look at your child's timings. Have these changed recently? Is your child showing signs of being 'overtired' at bedtime? If the answer is yes to any of these, consider bringing your child's bedtime forward and/or shortening the length of time between their last nap and bedtime.

2. Reinforcement of early rising

It's hard to deal with an awake child when your body is firmly telling you it still needs sleep. As such, many parents understandably just let their child get up and play. However, doing this conditions your child's body clock and over time makes it harder to address their early waking. Decide upon what is a realistic get-up time (i.e. any time after 6am) and treat anything before this as you would do any night-time waking. Continue in this way until either your child falls back asleep or you reach your goal time for starting the day. This approach prevents the reinforcement of the early wake-ups and paves the way for addressing this. Most young children need between 12 to 13 hours of daytime (including naps) between their wake-up time and bedtime, so it is worth considering this too.

3. Their bedroom is too light

Our bodies need daylight for our circadian rhythm, but as daylight basically signals to the body it is time to wake up it is worth looking at light levels in your child's bedroom. Some children are very sensitive to light changes, so it is worth using blackout blinds or curtains if at all possible. Travel blackout blinds can provide a cost effective and quick solution.

4. Developmental milestones

As babies and toddlers meet various milestones, such as talking, rolling or crawling, their body and brains can be more active and more ready to wake up and practise these skills. Providing plenty of time for them to practise these skills during the day, helps to reduce any desire to put these skills to use at 5am! Otherwise, the best thing you can do is keep everything else sleep related consistent and remember that this sleep change will soon pass.

5. Monitor daytime naps

If your child's early wake-ups are new, it is likely that they just need slight adjustments to the timing and length of their daytime sleep. Tweaking your child's nap times and durations can help them meet the balance between adequate daytime rest and promoting longer stretches of nighttime sleep.

6. How your child settles to sleep

If your child needs your assistance to fall asleep at night, then they are likely to rely on the same for any night awakenings. The difficulty posed by early morning wake-ups is that you no longer have sleep hormones on your side, therefore making it harder to settle your child back to sleep. Have a look at your child is falling asleep and if necessary, choose a method to help move them toward independent settling.

Early waking in babies and toddlers can pose a challenge, but with patience, consistency, and the right strategies in place, you can help your little one establish healthy sleep habits. If you want further help, wish to find out more about sleep, or are keen to get a good routine in place, our sleep packages offer a range of options for personalised sleep support.