Early Morning Waking in Babies and Toddlers
Is your baby or toddler starting the day at 5am? You are not alone. Early morning waking is one of the most common sleep difficulties I help families with, and there is usually a clear reason for it.
This guide is for families with children aged 6 months to 4 years.
What counts as an early wake?
If you are working with a 7am wake up time, an early wake is any waking before 6am.
Whether a wake time is right for your child also depends on their own sleep need across 24 hours, which I explain below.
Why the early hours are tricky
Sleep changes as the night goes on. The first part of the night has more deep sleep. In the early hours, sleep becomes much lighter.
At the same time, the body clock is already preparing for the day. Melatonin, the hormone that rises in the dark and helps the body get ready for sleep, is falling. By then, your child has also had much of the sleep they need. So small things, such as a drop in room temperature, a crack of light or a noise outside, can wake them fully.
Two things that drive sleep
Sleep pressure. This is the drive to sleep. It builds the longer your child is awake and goes down while they sleep. Think of it like a balloon slowly filling through the day. Naps let some of the air out.
The body clock. This is also called the circadian rhythm. It is an internal clock that runs on a cycle of roughly 24 hours. It tells the body when to feel sleepy and when to feel alert.
The body clock is set each day by time cues. The three most important time cues are light, food and social interaction. Each one tells the brain that it is time to be awake.
Think about sleep across 24 hours
Every child has a sleep need across 24 hours. This includes naps as well as night sleep. A child can only have so much sleep in a day and night.
The American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) recommends these totals in 24 hours, naps included:
Babies aged 4 to 12 months: 12 to 16 hours
Children aged 1 to 2 years: 11 to 14 hours
Children aged 3 to 5 years: 10 to 13 hours
These are totals for the whole day and night. They do not tell you how much of that sleep should happen overnight.
How this shapes day and night sleep
Your child's sleep need across 24 hours shapes how much sleep they need in the day and how much they need overnight. The two are linked. More sleep in the day usually means less sleep at night.
If a lot of the total happens in the day, there is less left for the night, and the early morning is often the first part to go. For example, a two year old has a three hour nap, falls asleep at 9pm and wakes at 5am. That long nap is very likely to be shortening the night.
Bedtime works in a similar way. If your child goes to sleep very early, they may meet their sleep need before morning and start the day earlier.
Why an earlier bedtime is not the answer
Parents are often told to try an earlier bedtime. This does not necessarily work.
Your child can only sleep for a certain amount of time across 24 hours. Sleep pressure also needs time to build before bedtime. If bedtime comes too early, your child may simply reach their sleep need sooner and start the day earlier.
So rather than moving bedtime, look at how your child's sleep is shared across the whole day and night.
Look at the first nap
The first nap of the day has a big effect on early mornings.
If the first nap comes too soon after waking, or lasts too long, the body can treat it as more night sleep. This can make a 5am start more likely the next day.
Check the bedroom
Darkness. Research shows that young children's body clocks are very sensitive to light, so even a little can signal that the day has started. Use blackout blinds or curtains so the room stays dark until your chosen wake time.
Temperature. Room temperature often drops in the early hours. Check your child is not too cold or too warm. For babies, The Lullaby Trust recommends a room temperature of 16 to 20°C (around 61 to 68°F).
Noise. Birds, traffic and family members getting up can all wake a child in light sleep. Steady white noise can help cover these sounds.
How you respond at 5am matters
How we respond to an early wake makes a real difference. Remember the time cues. Light, food and social interaction all tell the brain that it is time to wake up. If your child gets these at 5am, their body clock learns that 5am is the start of the day.
There is also a behavioural side. If something rewarding happens when your child wakes early, that wake is more likely to happen again. Rewarding responses include:
A milk feed
Bright lights
Coming into your bed
Play or chatting
Screens
Starting the day
None of this means you have done anything wrong. These are natural responses when you are tired.
Until your agreed wake time, keep your response calm, dull and the same each time. Keep the room dark, your voice low and your contact brief. Less is more.
If your baby still has a feed in the early hours, keep it quiet and dimly lit. Only change their nappy or diaper if you need to.
Consistency matters too. Bringing your child into your bed at 5am "just this once" at the weekend is still a reward.
Settling independently
If your child can fall asleep on their own at the start of the night, they are better able to go back to sleep at 5am. If they need you to fall asleep at bedtime, or through the night, they are likely to need you in the early morning too.
Research reviewed by the AASM shows that behavioural approaches to children's sleep lead to reliable and lasting improvements. Working on settling at bedtime is often the best place to start.
Using a toddler clock
A toddler clock can help, but only once your child can understand the idea. For example, "stay in bed until the sun comes up."
Set the clock to the time your child usually wakes now.
Celebrate when they stay in bed until the clock changes. Do this for about 3 days.
Then move the clock later by 10 to 15 minutes at a time.
If your child calls out but is calm, you could say from the door, "The sun is still sleeping." If they are upset, go in and comfort them.
Turn off any blue backlight on the clock overnight. Light in the evening and night can lower melatonin.
Early mornings can take four to six weeks to improve, so give each change time.
A quick checklist
Can your child fall asleep on their own at bedtime?
Is too much of your child's sleep across 24 hours happening in the day?
Is bedtime so early that the night ends too soon?
Is the first nap coming very early in the day, or lasting too long?
Is the room dark until morning? Could they be cold, or woken by noise?
What happens at 5am? Can milk, light, play, your bed or screens wait until the agreed wake time?
Is your response calm, dull and consistent every morning, weekends included?
When to speak to a health professional
Illness and teething can affect sleep for a while. Keep your child comfortable, and it is fine to offer an extra feed if they need it. Once they are well again, you can return to working on early mornings.
If your child is unwell or in pain, or you have concerns about their breathing during sleep, feeding, growth or development, speak to your doctor, health visitor or paediatrician.
Frequently asked questions
Is waking at 6am too early?
Not if you are working with a 7am wake up time. An early wake is any waking before 6am. The right wake time for your child also depends on their sleep need across 24 hours and how much of it happens in the day.
Will an earlier bedtime stop early waking?
Not necessarily. Your child's sleep need across 24 hours is limited, and sleep pressure needs time to build before bed. If bedtime is too early, the night can simply end earlier.
How do I stop my toddler waking too early?
Think about their sleep need across 24 hours, check the first nap, and keep the early morning dark, calm and dull until your agreed wake time. A toddler clock can also help.
Would you like more support?
If you would like help looking at your child's sleep in detail, I would love to hear from you.
A discovery call is a chance to talk through your child's sleep and see whether working together is right for your family. I work online with families worldwide.
If you would like to start at home, my £15 ebook, A Guide to Early Morning Wakings, gives you three different approaches to choose from, depending on your parenting style and your child's temperament.
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