Early Waking

When is Early Too Early?

It’s natural for children to wake up early in the morning. Their built-in daily rhythms often mean that their natural wake-up time is around 6:30 or 7:00 AM. However, if your child is waking up before 6:00 or 6:15 AM, this is generally considered too early.

Although some children are naturally early risers, waking up at 4:00 or 5:00 AM is too early by anyone’s standards.

What Causes Early Waking, and What Can You Do?

1. Environment

The sleep environment plays a big role in your child’s early waking. Consider the following:

• Too much light: Ensure the room is completely dark. Even small amounts of light can signal your child’s body that it’s time to wake up.
• Temperature: Pay close attention to the room's temperature. Too hot or too cold can disrupt your child’s sleep.
• Noise: Early morning light sleep can be disrupted by environmental sounds. Using white noise can help drown out these disturbances.

2. Overtiredness or Under Tiredness

Children who go to bed late often wake up early. Extreme tiredness from long wake hours the night before—or insufficient daytime sleep—causes the body to produce cortisol, a stress hormone. This makes it harder for your child to fall back asleep after waking up between sleep cycles in the early morning.

On the other hand, too much daytime sleep can leave your child not tired enough to sleep longer in the morning.

• If your child wakes up happy and ready to start the day, they’ve likely had enough sleep.
• If they wake up cranky, it’s a sign they probably need more sleep.

Be cautious of early morning naps: If the morning nap happens too soon, your child may start treating it as an extension of their nighttime sleep. This reinforces early waking, as your child “makes up” for the lost sleep in the morning.

3. How Does Your Child Fall Asleep?

Children who rely heavily on parental help to fall asleep at bedtime and during the night often struggle to fall back asleep during the early morning hours. At this time, the body is naturally preparing to wake up—melatonin levels are decreasing, cortisol levels are rising, and biologically, it’s harder to stay asleep.

Additionally, if your child has already slept for 10 hours, their need for more sleep is much lower than earlier in the night. Teaching your child to fall asleep independently can help them link sleep cycles more effectively, leading to longer morning sleep.

Resetting the Body Clock

Light, food, and social interaction can reset your child’s body clock and signal that it’s time to start the day. To encourage longer sleep, try to avoid introducing these cues before 6:30 AM.

Want more help with your child's sleep?
My online course, The Baby Sleep Blueprint: A Proven, Gentle Method to End Sleepless Nights, contains everything you need to help your child learn to sleep well.
https://www.sleepeatlove.is/The-Baby-Sleep-Blueprint