About Early Morning Wakings
Recently, a mom of a 6-month-old baby reached out with this: “My daughter has started to wake up earlier and earlier. She used to sleep to at least 6:30am, but now she won’t sleep past 6am. For a few days, she woke around 5:45am, then 5:30am, then yesterday it was 4:15am! What should I do?”
Early morning wakings are exhaaaaausting, and, depending on how you respond to them, they can throw off your baby’s day significantly. Let’s talk about the reasons why they happen and what you can do to remedy them.
First, let’s define what we’re talking about.
An early morning waking is when a child wakes for the day between 4-6am. Anything before 4am should be considered a night waking, and anything after 6am should be considered waking for the day. We consider any time between 6-7am to be a normal daily wake-up time for a child who is going to bed between 7-8pm.
Also, remember that sleep pressure, which is built up during awake time throughout the day and then released at night, is at its lowest point during those early morning hours, after the child has slept through almost the entire night. This makes getting back to sleep difficult, but not impossible.
Why is my child waking so early?
Before we can figure out how to help our babies sleep later, we need to know the root cause of why it’s happening. Here are some likely scenarios:
1. Your child was overtired at bedtime.
This can be a common cause of early morning wakings. If a child wakes around 5am and is upset and crying, chances are they’re not happy about waking up and want to get back to sleep, but because they began the night overtired, it’s so much harder to get back to sleep when they wake in the night or early morning.
For example, if a 5 month old is kept awake for 4 hours before bedtime, when his typical wake times are more like 2-2.5 hours, he’s likely going to be very overtired at bedtime and might wake early the next morning.
2. Your child was undertired at bedtime.
Wait, what? Yep, the opposite to overtiredness can also cause wakings in the early morning. Being undertired means that the child is likely being offered too much sleep and not enough awake time. These children typically wake around 5am but are happy and content, cooing, chatting, and rolling around for a while, then potentially becoming fussy.
3. The first nap of the day is too early.
In the same vein, when we don’t offer enough awake time during the day, it can lead to a lack of sleep pressure at night. Oftentimes, when a child is offered a nap too early in the morning, it can cause and reinforce early morning wakings, as the child views the nap almost as an extension of night sleep.
4. Sunlight is waking your child early.
The way our bodies are wired is that light can wake us up, and darkness promotes sleep. If your child’s room fills with daylight beginning in the early hours (even soft blue morning light), it can cause their bodies to naturally wake.
5. It’s me, hi. I’m the problem.
If your child is consistently waking at 5am, and you are getting them up for the day at that time, turning on lights, offering a feeding, and moving on, it’s very possible that you have inadvertently created a habit for your child of starting their day at 5am. The stimulation they receive at that time, if done day after day, will become a repeated pattern. Just as we adults often begin to wake around the same time every morning out of habit, children’s bodies are programmed the same way. I highly recommend waiting to start your day until 6am at the very earliest.
6. Your child is hungry.
This is less likely than most of the other scenarios listed above, but it’s possible that your child is legitimately hungry and needs to be fed. If she isn’t getting enough to eat during the daytime hours, she will wake at night or in the early morning (likely showing other signs of hunger) to get what she needs.
What can I do to remedy these wakings?
While we would all love for early morning wakings to go away instantly, oftentimes it takes some time to solve them, so put on your patient pants! Here are some helpful things to consider:
Evaluate your child’s daily routine, including awake time and daytime sleep. So many times, early morning wakings are simply a product of what is happening during the day, so double-check your child’s wake windows to make sure they’re age-appropriate (see downloadable chart below). If your child’s awake time is too much or too little, make the necessary tweaks and wait a few days to see changes. If the first nap is happening too early in the day, expand the first wake window slowly and gradually, pushing out the first nap to fall at the right time.
Invest in blackout curtains or shades, and avoid night lights. For children who are struggling with sleep, ensuring their room is completely dark can make a huge difference. If you’re worried about your child becoming used to sleeping in total darkness and not being able to sleep in a lighter environment, know that this is NOT typically the case, and you can always introduce a bit more light into the room as they age. However, since our bodies are wired to sleep best when it’s dark, it’s a great first step to take.
A note about night lights: Children do not typically develop a fear of the dark until age 2-2.5 at the earliest, when their imaginations develop, so night lights are not necessary before this. We want to promote a dark environment for sleep until your child is old enough to clearly express a fear of the dark or request a night light.
Avoid starting your day before 6am. If at all possible, make sure that your day begins (meaning, lights come on, sound machine goes off, we’re eating and playing) NO earlier than 6am. This might seem difficult, but applying basic sleep training techniques and other comfort measures can help extend that early waking over time.
Prioritize full feedings during the daytime. If your child is getting the calories they need during the day through either full nursing sessions or bottle feeds (formula or breastmilk), and through solid meals (if over 6 months), they are much less likely to wake out of hunger. Work with your child’s pediatrician or a certified lactation consultant to ensure that they are following their unique growth curve and are consuming what they need daily.
A note about the first feeding of the day: If you are offering a feeding immediately upon waking, even if your wake-up time is 6am or later, and you find that your child is waking early, it’s possible that they are waking in expectation of their feeding. It can help resolve an early wake to wait to offer the feeding until 10-15 minutes after getting them out of the crib.
What if I still need more help?
If you are exhausted and need help knowing what to do in these early hours, and you already have an independent night sleeper, please reach out to schedule an Ask Me Anything session, where we cover questions like these and more in a 45-minute call. I’d love to help you troubleshoot.
But if you’re dreaming of independent sleep for your child, and early morning wakings seem like only one part of the problem, please know that I can help! Consider our Two-Week Sleep Support package for children over 3 months old, or reach out to schedule a free discovery call to determine how I can help. It is my joy to serve you!
Please note that I am not a medical professional, and this blog post is not meant to serve as medical advice, a diagnosis, or any form of treatment. If you have any questions or concerns, please discuss them with your child’s pediatrician.
