Early rising

If your baby is waking up in the early hours of the morning, it can be frustrating as you can't simply hit the snooze button on them. However, it's important to understand why this happens and how we can shift their wake-up time. Firstly, it's essential to note that anything from 6am onwards is considered normal. Their internal body clocks play a role in determining their wake-up time, so if they are sleeping well throughout the night and getting a solid 10-12 hours of sleep, they are likely doing everything right. “The sun isn’t even up and you’re telling me this is normal?” Yes.

Adding to the above, another thing to keep in mind is that you’ll find the mornings can be more difficult when it comes to re-settling, as opposed to how it would usually be if they were to wake in the middle of the night. The three main reasons why this is the case:

1. From 5 am onwards, we enter a lighter phase of sleep

2. Melatonin (sleep hormone) has slowed/stopped and has run out

3. Sleep pressure has lowered because they’ve had a full nights rest and are just not tired enough to continue sleeping

Despite what’s written above, there are a few things we can do that can help push out the mornings. Let’s discuss it in more depth below.

Troubleshooting early rising

Sleep environment

Dark room

Sunrise equals light! This means being mindful of all the places where light can seep in and ensuring they are all blocked off. A smidge of light can signal it’s time to wake up, so make sure their room remains dark. This will trick your baby into thinking it’s still nighttime.

Sound machine

Choose a sound machine that plays continuously throughout your baby's entire sleep duration, as some sound machines have a time limit. This ensures that the soothing sound doesn't abruptly stop, potentially causing disturbances.

Another benefit of a sound machine is its ability to mask external sounds that may occur in the early hours of the morning, such as birds chirping, garbage trucks, or parents getting ready. By providing consistent background noise, the sound machine helps create a more peaceful sleep environment for your baby.

Room temperature

Did you know the coldest point in the day, is just before the sun rises!? This is because the Earth's surface heats up during the day and then gradually cools during the night. Just before the sun rises, the ground has cooled for the longest period possible, so the temperature will be at its coldest compared to the middle of the night.

The best way to make sure they aren’t getting cold is to set the heater at a comfortable temperature and make sure they wear a sleeping bag every single night, with appropriate layering of clothing underneath.

Wake windows

The time they are awake between periods of sleep (the first wake window in particular) can be one of the reasons why mornings start too early the following day. If you haven’t quite figured out their sweet spot for how long they need to be awake, this can impact more than just early rising and can be the cause of many other sleep struggles.

Click here to see the blog on wake windows.

Under or overtired

This coincides with wake windows. Once you figure out how long they need to be awake, you’ll avoid any repercussions that come with an under or overtired baby.

Sometimes or most times, the last wake window is the longest (can be up to 30 minutes more than they are throughout the day).

➞ For example: A 6 month old baby has a 2 hour and 30 minute wake window, although the last wake window is 2 hours and 50 minutes.

Bedtime is too late

Babies have a drowsy window typically around 7-8pm due to the peak of melatonin in their bodies around 7pm, gradually decreasing thereafter. Putting your baby to bed during this window can make it easier for them to fall asleep, promote longer sleep duration, and achieve restorative sleep throughout the night.

If you're concerned about keeping your baby awake until 7-8pm, an earlier bedtime as early as 6pm can be beneficial. This helps prevent overtiredness and allows you to gradually work towards that drowsy window. It's important to note that a later bedtime does not necessarily result in a later wake-up time in the morning. This common misconception can backfire and sometimes lead to even earlier mornings.

Click for tip

Too much day sleep

Sleep is over a 24-hour period and if they are sleeping too much during the day then they've reached their limit and they're waking because they've simply hit their threshold.

➞ For example: A baby needs 14 hours of sleep over 24 hours. They sleep 4 hours during they day and they go to bed at 7:30pm. With only needing 10 hours, this makes mornings 5:30am.

They're hungry

To eliminate hunger as a potential cause of early morning wake-ups, it's important to ensure that your baby consumes an adequate amount of calories throughout the day. Think of it as fueling a car for a long drive—the fuller the tank, the longer the drive. Similarly, when babies are adequately fed, they are more likely to achieve longer stretches of sleep.

Feed your baby every 2.5 to 3 hours, with a maximum of 4 hours between feedings, while also paying attention to their hunger cues. By ensuring they receive regular and sufficient feedings, you can help promote longer and more restful sleep during the night.

Treat it as though it's still nighttime

When your baby wakes up in the early hours of the morning, it's important to avoid treating it differently from a typical nighttime waking. Despite it being close to the start of the day, sticking to consistent strategies is key. If you have purchased my sleep guide, refer to the pages on "the process" to guide you in helping your baby return to sleep. By following these steps, you can establish a consistent approach to encourage them to settle back to sleep.

Click for tips

Introduce gentle sleep training

The way a baby falls asleep at bedtime is typically the same way they would fall asleep if they woke in the middle of the night or early hours of the morning. If they are put into the cot while still awake and learn to drift off independently, they are more likely to replicate this self-soothing ability when they wake during the night.

As mentioned earlier, from 5am onwards, sleep enters its lightest phase. Therefore, a baby who knows how to fall asleep without external assistance is less likely to require your intervention when it comes to falling back asleep during these early hours. By allowing them to develop self-soothing skills, you can enable them to settle themselves back to sleep without the need for your interference.

Do you need help?

If early rising becomes a struggle in your home, I have the perfect tools and resources to help you through this! I have guides and optional plans that can give you that one-on-one support you need to help achieve 10-12 hour nights, solid naps and put an end to all or most sleep struggles.

Written by Alexandra Selekos I'm the founder of Babee Dreams, a certified sleep consultant and a mum of three. My approach is based on studies, training through The Sleep Consulting Academy, successful outcomes experienced by those who have used my methods and the instincts of a mother. My approach will help your baby achieve their best sleep, whilst always feeling reassured, loved and never neglected.