By Lucy Murray, Baby & Child Sleep Consultant, Little Dreams Chelmsford and Colchester, Essex
Why does my baby wake up early? Early waking is one of the most common sleep challenges I support families with across Essex, and it can feel especially tough when your day begins before you’re ready. It might be light outside, but 5am is still too early!
The good news, there are gentle, effective ways to encourage a later start to the day, especially if it is before 6am.
Why is my child waking so early?
Early waking is rarely caused by just one thing. It’s usually a combination of factors such as:
- Light exposure
- Overtiredness
- Sleep environment
- Sleep associations
- Daytime sleep balance
- Overall 24 hour sleep needs
If you’re unsure how these all fit together, understanding sleep pressure can be a really helpful starting point.
If my little one was waking early, this is where I would start:
1. Give it time
If your child has only recently started sleeping through the night, don’t panic! Their sleep patterns may still be settling. It’s common for wake-up times to fluctuate before naturally shifting later over a few weeks. Sleep regressions, especially the 4 month regression can also cause a change in wake up time. Give it time, it may calm down by itself.
2. Adjust bedtime feeding
If your child is fed as part of their bedtime routine, try to finish the feed 10–15 minutes before putting them into bed. This helps reduce reliance on feeding to fall asleep and can improve early morning sleep.
3. Keep the room dark
Light is one of the biggest triggers for early waking, especially during spring and summer in the UK. Blackout blinds and curtains can make a significant difference in helping your child stay asleep longer. If you still have light coming in (especially around the edges), try a gro blind or similar product.
4. Reduce early morning noise
Sounds like birds, traffic, or rubbish collections can wake children in the early hours. A consistent white, pink, or brown noise can help mask these disruptions and create a more settled sleep environment.
5. Check their temperature
Body temperature naturally drops in the early morning (around 4–5am), which can lead to waking. Ensuring your child is warm enough, while following safe sleep guidance, can help them stay asleep.
6. Introduce a sleep clock
For children around 18 months and older, a sleep trainer clock can help signal when it’s time to start the day. Put yourself in their shoes, it is day outside, why is it not waking up time! Some children respond really well, if yours doesn’t, it is ok, keep it as it might be more helpful when they are a bit older.
7. Treat early waking like night waking
If your child wakes before 6am, respond in the same calm, quiet way you would overnight. Keeping stimulation low helps reinforce that it’s still sleep time.
8. Avoid over tiredness (and under tiredness)
Overtiredness can be a cause of early waking. Bringing bedtime slightly earlier (by 15–30 minutes, but not before 6pm) can often help your child sleep later in the morning. On the flip side, if they are not tired at all, move bedtime back (and consider capping naps if possible.)
9. Review daytime naps and consider how much sleep they are having in 24 hours
If your child is still napping, check they’re not getting too much daytime sleep. Too much daytime sleep can result in them being ready for the day at 5am. Long naps in the day can be wonderful for parents, but not if they result in an early start!
If early waking is ongoing, it can feel exhausting and difficult to resolve on your own. Often, it’s about identifying the right combination of changes for your child.
You don’t have to figure it all out alone. If you would like some support with your early mornings, book a free 15 minute call to find out how I can help.
