Whether your early-riser is a wee babe or a great big toddler, one thing is certain: early waking is rough! The timing of your baby or toddler’s morning wake-up sets the tone for the rest of the day, AND it sets the pace for the day’s sleep and feeding schedule. That means a way-too-early wake-up call can wreak havoc on what could have otherwise been a perfectly fine day.
Clearly, early rising is a problem that needs fixing!
What Is “Waking Up Too Early”, Anyway?
Now, remember that ‘early’ is a relative term – for some parents, a 5:00 wake-up time is ideal, while for others, anything before 8:30 is considered “way too early!” That’s why it’s a good idea to establish an objective “waking too early” standard against which you can judge your situation.
As a rule of thumb, if your child’s wake-up time is after 6 a.m. and he or she is waking up fairly happy and refreshed, then you likely don’t have an early waking problem on your hands. Take a good, hard look at your child’s wake-up time – is it after 6 a.m.? Also, think about how your child wakes up – is she happy and energized? If your child is waking at or after 6 a.m. and seems refreshed and ready to tackle the day, then (as much as it may pain you to hear this!) you probably don’t have an early rising problem. A wake-up time of 6:00 or later is reasonable and developmentally appropriate for most babies and toddlers, provided they are getting adequate nighttime and nap time sleep.
That said, if your child is waking before 6 a.m., and/or seems cranky and tired first thing in the morning, then you likely do have an early-rising issue on your hands.
Why Your Baby Is Waking Up Too Early
Occasional early waking can be caused by a variety of factors, including….
- ….illness.
- ….teething.
- ….traveling (and sleeping in an unfamiliar setting).
- ….sleep regressions.
- ….potty training (for toddlers).
Honestly, occasional and intermittent early waking is nothing to worry much about; if you can trace the cause to something temporary, then simply work on getting back on track as soon as you can.
However, if your baby regularly rises before the sun, then it’s likely you have a scheduling problem to solve.
Two Common Causes of Waking Up Too Early (And What To Do About It)
- Nap Timing: It may be that either the timing of your child’s naps are off, or the length of the naps themselves is off. If your child’s nap schedule builds in too much awake-time during the day, for instance, then your child may be overtired at bedtime and is more likely to sleep poorly and wake too early. What’s more, if your child’s naps are too short, then that can also cause overtiredness.
- Bedtime Timing: Contrary to what you might guess, keeping a baby up late at bedtime will not mean a later morning wake-up time! Sleep begets sleep, so a baby who goes to bed early is more likely to sleep well and wake at a decent hour. That said, though, older toddlers who still take an afternoon nap may actually benefit from a later bedtime. If you put a toddler to bed early, he may not be tired enough for sleep and may instead bounce around his bed for hours before he finally falls asleep.
Baby Waking Up Too Early? Here’s How To Fix It
So your baby is more than just an early bird. At this point, you probably know what’s causing the early waking….but how are you supposed to fix it? Good question!
First, you’ll want to start treating your child’s early-morning wake-up calls as night wakings, and not “start-of-the-morning” wakings. That means that while it’s fine to get up and offer your baby comfort and reassurance, try not to get your baby up for the day. If you do, you’re merely reinforcing that this early-morning waking is fine and normal and part of the regular routine. Do this for a week or so, and your problem may solve itself.
If, after a week of treating early wakings as night wakings, your child is still too much of an early bird, then begin making schedule adjustments. Do you need to work in an extra nap during the day? Maybe you need to shift the timing of any naps, so that your child has less awake time during the day? Consider moving bedtime earlier, or possibly later? Do you need to move feedings so that they happen closer to naps and bedtime? Perhaps you need to offer a bedtime snack? Gradually make these schedule adjustments, while still treating any early wakings as night wakings.
Generally, following these steps will resolve most early waking problems. If you’re still struggling, however, you may need a more expert approach to solving your problem.
For more early-waking help, check out our members-only e-book, Shift Your Child’s Schedule. It includes helpful tips designed to shift your child’s schedule either forward or backward so as to fix early- or late-waking problems. Members enjoy unlimited access to this e-book at no additional cost.
More Help From The Baby Sleep Site®
Early waking can be a tough habit to break. Fortunately, we can help! Connect with one of our expert consultants today; she’ll craft a Personalized Sleep Plan® just for your baby, walk you through every step of sleep coaching and schedule-making, and provide detailed answers to your most pressing sleep training questions.
Purchase a sleep consulting package today, and connect with your expert sleep consultant!
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Isla O'Dwyer says
My 8 month old has been waking up consistently at 5am for 3 months now. He used to sleep from 7pm to 7am (I even used to sometimes wake him up to keep him on schedule). He usually has 2 hours of daytime sleep between 9 and 10 and between 12.30 and 1.30. this leaves a huge gap between bedtime but he completely resists a third cat nap. I’ve tried brining the bedtime earlier….but it doesn’t change when he wakes. Any advice? Thanks (ps he eats 3 meals a day and has at least 5 breast feeds)
Janelle Reid says
@Isla O’Dwyer – Thanks for writing to us. I am sorry you’ve been experiencing early wakings with your son for the last few months. Since early wakings can very often be connected to a schedule that is slightly off for the baby, here is a link to a sample schedule for an 8 month old to see if maybe you need to try to adjust some of the nap timings (it may just be a slight shift): https://www.babysleepsite.com/schedules/8-month-old-baby-schedule/#schedule
We also have an ebook that goes more in-depth to naps & schedules that you can learn more about and purchase online here: https://www.babysleepsite.com/mastering-naps/
I hope this along with the advise from the article helps! Hang in there, I know it can be challenging. If you need more help with this, let us know. We have so many resources and I’ve only named a few for you here.
Jamie says
Hi!
We have an early waking problem on our hands. Our son just turned 2 and has been sleeping through the night since he was 6 months old, with a few regressions here and there. He goes to bed at 7:30 and wakes up at 5am (he used to wake up at 6:45, this has been goIng on for a month or more now). He takes a nap usually from 1-3pm. The time may vary (as he is tired earlier bc of waking at 5) but he always sleeps 2 hours. When he wakes at 5 he is often crying for us and will not stop until we get him. We bring him into our bed and he plays around us until we wake up at 6:15. What can we do? I have a 3 month old also and am currently up with him every 2-3 hours throughout the night. Help, we need sleep!!
Thank you!
Danielle says
Hi Jamie,
Thanks for using The Baby Sleep Site as a resource! I’m sorry to hear about your early waking problem, especially with a little baby in the house too! We do often see early waking start to happen around this age because sleep needs change right around age 2. We have an article all about 2 year-old sleep that I think could be a big help to you here: https://www.babysleepsite.com/toddlers/5-things-about-2-year-old-toddler-sleep-2/
I hope it helps, but let us know if you still have questions!
Silvia says
My baby girl is 7 months, she sleeps from 7pm to 5am, I would like her to wake up later, al least 6am
She have a routine at night, and make 3 naps during de day, from 2 to 3 hours totally during the day
Her awake time is usually 3 hours
I have tried to put her to bed early at 6:45 pm and put her to bed later at 8 pm and she still wakes up at 5
When she wakes up I leave her in the crib the most I can, and usually pick her up until 6, but what she does is that she stays awake in her crib talking from like 45 minutes, when i pick her up she is always so happy and in the best mood! She sleeps 10 hours In a row, I know is not bad, but can I do something so she can wake up an hour later?
Debbye @ The Baby Sleep Site says
Hi @Sylvia – Thank you for writing, and we are sorry to hear that your daughter is waking too early! We know how tough waking at 5am can be! There can be many factors that cause early waking. You may want to check out our Shifting Schedules Ebook that is included in our Members Area. You can troubleshoot using the Ebook, and as a Members Area subscriber, can join an expert chat and get instant answers form an expert too. here is a link to learn more:
https://www.babysleepsite.com/waking-too-early/
Good luck!
Marta says
My daughter is almost 11 weeks.
I start her bedtime routine at around 6:30-7pm – everyday for the last 6 weeks is the same routine which is: bath, pyjamas, breastfeeding, rocking to sleep in my arms.
She used to fall asleep in 30/40 mins but now it takes around 2hours until she’s in a deep sleep.. I’m wondering what to do to lull her faster.
Plus she used to wake up at 7-8 now is 5-5.30 which is way too earlier.. as now she’s asleep 8:30pm or even 9pm.
Her nighttime wakings Are at 1 (feeding) 3:30(sometimes she needs a feed) 5, try to lull her again which takes around 40 mins or sometimes even more.. and she wakes at 7-7:30am. Then we start our day (so I go with her downstairs to a daylight) after an hour or sometime less she’s ready for her first day nap – which most of them are on my, in my arms and boob in her mouth.. her day naps are usually 20mins long and I always have to lull her for another nap and try to make her to sleep at least 1:30 hour or 2 hours.
Can you suggest what Can I do to help her sleep longer at nights and make longer day naps? I thought that catnaping will pass when she will get older but it’s been like that since her birth.
Thanks a lot for you help.
Janelle Reid says
Hi @Marta, thanks for your comment! I am sorry to hear you’ve been struggling with your daughter’s sleep recently. When they are so little a lot can change quickly, so hang in there! We have a free guide available to download with sleep facts for new parents. You may know some of them already, but there are links within the guide to more information for you as well. To access the free guide please sign up through this link: https://www.babysleepsite.com/15-free-baby-sleep-facts-new-parents-must-know/
If problems persist and you need more help, we do have a team of incredible sleep consultants that would be happy to walk through the challenges you are experiencing. To get more information on that you can visit our services page here: https://www.babysleepsite.com/baby-toddler-sleep-consulting-services/
I hope that helps!
Chloe says
Hello, I have an 8 and half months old baby boy and since the last clock change for daylight saving he has not had a full nights sleep. His bedtime was always 730pm before spring and after daylight saving clocks moving forward, I changed it to 8pm as i know my son won’t sleep if it’s still daylight. When I had his schedule set for 7:30 bedtime he always slept until at least 630am without fail and sometimes later. When I first adjusted his sleep time, i also adjusted his nap times etc and there were no problems for the first few days to one week as he was still waking after 6, therefore having at least 10 hours and waking happy. But for the past month, even though I have kept his bedtime as 8pm and he is fast asleep no later than 830, he is not sleeping long enough for his age or health as for the past 2-3 weeks he has been Regularly waking up at 530am, he will absolutely not sleep any longer than 9hrs and refuses to go back down after milk even though he is grumpy and clearly still tired and will now also not nap in the daytime for any longer than 30-45minutes where ideally he should have at least 1 hour. This in turn is leading to my boy being overtired and having up to 4 short naps in the daytime in 20-30 minute bursts. He has 2 small and one big bottle throughout the day along with at least 2 jars of food in between and always has a full tummy before bed as he feeds on a bottle in his cot to fall asleep and will sleep without waking regularly but Never any longer than 9 hours. Please help as these early mornings are draining both me and my son and ruining my focus throughout the day. Could you please give me some advice on this?
Janelle Reid says
Hi @Chloe, thank you for writing to us. I am so sorry you are struggling with your son’s schedule since the time change. It is challenging putting kids to bed with it still light out! I personally, am super thankful for blackout curtains – I don’t know what I would do without them!
Here is a link to a sample schedule for an 8 month old you can use as a reference: https://www.babysleepsite.com/schedules/8-month-old-baby-schedule/
If you shift things around with his schedule and bring his bedtime earlier and he is still waking up early for you, let us know, as that overtired cycle can be a tricky one to break, but it is possible! If this is the case I’d recommend working with one of our sleep consultants so they can give you advise for your specific situation that also works together with your parenting style. Please contact us here if you are interested: https://www.babysleepsite.com/contact
I hope this helps and that you see a positive change in his sleep very soon!
Lauren says
Hello!
I have a 12 week old boy!
He is doing great with sleep for the most part. Going to bed at 7:30 and sleeping straight until about 4:45am. We have been treating these as night wakings as he is still tired but seems to be waking hungry. We have been giving him a bottle and back to bed and he usually then sleeps until I wake him for the morning at 7:30am. He is taking 2 hour naps during the day and is very happy! My question is how can I go about getting him to sleep until at least 7 am. He’s so close, he wakes up and fusses at 4:45am so I don’t know if I should let him be for a few minutes and see if he would go back to sleep or if I should continue what we are doing. It just gets a little awkward timing wise if he eats too close to his wake time. As we like to start the day with a bottle at his waketime of 7am.
Thank you so much
Lauren
Janelle Reid says
Hi @Lauren, thanks for writing! It is very common for babies your son’s age to need a feeding (or a few) to get them through the night for now. Here is a link to a sample schedule for a 3 month old that will cover the amount of sleep and breastmilk/formula the average baby needs in a 24 hour period. I hope this helps! Thanks for stopping by the Baby Sleep Site. 🙂
ELise says
Hello, my 11 month old is rising earlier and earlier each day. Today 515am. She is having a 30-40 minute nap around 10am always in the pram and a long nap from around 2pm-415pm or 430pm each day. I wake her at 415pm a lot of the time otherwise she’ll keep sleeping. sometimes afternoon nap is starting at 145pm. Her dinner is at 530pm each night and formula feed at 715pm then in bed at 730pm. She has about three-four formula feeds a day and three solid meals a day. I was wondering if you could help to solve this early waking problem. If she wakes early I always get her out of bed no earlier than 630am and always offer formula at 7-715am.
Debbye @ The Baby Sleep Site says
Hi @Elise – Thank you for visiting! I am sorry to hear that your baby is waking up too early! We understand how tough this can be, and we are here to help!
Most babies have a tendency to wake early, but for most families, 5am is just TOO early!
We work with families every day to help with schedules and get back on track with a good bedtime AND wake times, as well as every speedbump in between!
Please check out our one-on-one consultation services here: https://www.babysleepsite.com/services/
Please let us know if you have any questions and contact us if you need help choosing a package! ([email protected] or 888-599-1665)
Katie Breden says
Hi- have a 14 month old who has been waking between 4-4:30 for the past for the past 8 months. It started during the last day light savings and never got better. Our pediatrician felt that the next day light savings would fix this problem, but it did not at all. During this time he has had colds and teething. We have changed his bed time to 6:30. He goes right down and sleeps, but wakes at 4. He eats at 5:30, takes a bath at 6, then gets ready for bed. He is down to 1 nap a day. We have asked daycare to put him down at 11 and only let him sleep 2 hours. Please please please help. We can’t wake up this early!!
Neosha says
@Katie – Thank you for stopping by our sleepy little village and for sharing with us. Early waking can be a monster and super frustrating getting that 4am wake up call every morning! Colds and teething can disrupt sleep, for sure, and DST is well-known for messing up even good sleepers’ sleep. If he was waking early even before DST, though, it’s likely not the sole reason for the continued early waking. I really couldn’t make a specific recommendation for you as I’m not a sleep consultant and don’t have all the details but do agree with the post regarding making schedule adjustments to help a bit. I would recommend you take a look at our e-Book written specifically for this topic – when otherwise good sleepers just wake up TOO early – Shift Your Child’s Schedule, to help you with some specific tips and day-by-day strategies. The good news is if he’s otherwise a good sleeper, you should be able to shift his sleep schedule to a later wake up (within reason) with consistent action on your part. You can read more about it here: https://www.babysleepsite.com/baby-waking-too-early/ I hope you find this helpful, Katie. Hang in there!
Emma says
Hi I have a 5/12 month old who has never slept through the night..
His schedule goes
7am 7oz
Breakfast 8am
Nap 9am 1 hour
10.30 7oz
12.00pm nap 45min
1.30 7oz
Nap 3.30 long nap 1/12 hours
5.15 7oz bottle
Dinner 6pm
Bed 7.30
Dream feed 10pm 7oz
He wakes normally between 4am-5am
I’ve offered 3oz and tried to put back down but he refuses! He also used to Wake at 2am but this hasn’t happened for a week so fingers crossed! I stay in the bedroom and rock him or stroke his nose until 6.30 until I feel it’s an ok time to start the day.
Please help!
I would be happy with a 6.30 wake up!
Nicole Johnson says
@Emma I’m sorry to hear your baby is waking up so early. I know how exhausting that is! Thank you for sharing your schedule. There are several factors that impacts a baby waking early, so it’s impossible to diagnose why your son may be waking early without asking more questions and possibly getting a sleep log. You may want to take a look at our pamphlet on this topic to help you troubleshoot and chat live with a sleep consultant who can give you some things to consider and try. Here’s more information about that: https://www.babysleepsite.com/baby-waking-too-early Hang in there!
Vikki says
My 9 month old LG continues to wake up at 4.30am and will only go back to sleep if rocked. She’s not hungry as not interested in bottle. We have tried leaving her to self settle but she will stay awake until we get up at 6ish. Also, she sometimes wakes up her older brother if we leave her for too long. Her day time naps are 9.30-10 and 12.45-14.45 and then bed at 6.45/7pm. I’m wondering if I’ve got the naps wrong as can’t think why else she’d wake at the same time every morning?!
Janelle Reid says
Hi @Vikki, thanks for writing to us! I am sorry you are experiencing such early wakings with your daughter. It could be a scheduling problem, so here is a link to a sample schedule for a 9 month old: https://www.babysleepsite.com/schedules/9-month-old-baby-schedule/
You’ll see at this age the goal would be for your baby to get around 12 hours of sleep at night and then 2-3 hours of daytime sleep split between 2 naps. Babies at this age can’t stay up too long, so do take that into account with her last nap and bedtime – trying to not let her stay awake longer than a 3-3.5 hour stretch from the last nap until bed. I hope things improve for you soon! If not, you may find our ebook on Mastering Naps & Schedules may be helpful to you. You can view the packages on our website here: https://www.babysleepsite.com/mastering-naps/