Early rising babies: How to resolve early wake-ups

What is considered early rising in babies? 

Early rising in babies is regularly waking up any time before 6am. Your little one can’t be resettled with a feed or nappy change and the lack of sleep is beginning to impact the family routine. The average wake-up time for children is between 6am to 7am. 

Why is my baby an early riser? 

There are several reasons why your baby wakes up earlier than they should. From their temperature dropping during the night to overtiredness, discover the most common reasons below. 

Illness, teething, and travel 

It’s important to rule our illness when trying to determine why your little one is waking earlier than they should. Speak to your GP if you’re concerned. Teething or travel can also negatively impact their sleep routine.   

Sleep associations 

Partial wakeups during the night are a normal part of sleep for both children and adults. But babies and toddlers that rely on parental assistance to go to sleep are less likely to be able to self-soothe. For example, babies that are rocked, fed, or given a dummy to sleep will struggle to fall back to sleep between 12am and 4am – when the biggest sleep cycle transitions take place. 

Temperature 

Babies often wake up between 4-5am because they’re too cold, especially during the winter months. To ensure your little one’s temperature is regulated throughout the night, our SWADDLE UP™ and Sleep Suits/Bags™ are available in different fabrics. Use our temperature guide to choose the right fabrication for the season.   

Exposure to daylight or sound 

Blackout blinds or curtains will help to prevent your child from waking up early due to the sunlight in their room. An hour before it’s time to sleep, dim the lights and close the curtains/blinds to create a calm space. The darkness will trigger the production of melatonin and in turn, help your little one to drift off. Some children also wake up because of the sound outside. White noise can be an effective way to combat this and can be safely played during naps or overnight sleep at approximately 50-60 decibels.  

Too much or too little sleep 

If your child is catnapping during the day, then they’re less likely to be able to fall asleep when the bedtime routine rolls around. On the other hand, your little one can grow overtired if they’re not napping enough. As babies develop, their wake times change. We recommend creating a naptime routine that’s appropriate for their age group.  

Hunger 

Hunger can cause your little one to wake up between sleep cycles. To prevent this from happening, make sure they have been fed enough before sleep.  

Habit 

Some children wake up early simply out of habit. They might have gotten used to eating at a certain time or starting the day early because of not being able to resettle.     

How do you break the early rising cycle? 

To break the early rising cycle, consider the following tips from our expert team: 

Create a safe sleeping environment 

An hour before it’s time to sleep, dim the lights, close the curtains/blinds, and begin your nighttime routine. Always remove toys, blankets, and other choking hazards from your child’s cot or bassinet before sleep. 

Designed to encourage self-soothing whilst maintaining the comfort of being swaddled, our award-winning SWADDLE UP™ will find a lasting place in your little one’s routine. Once they begin showing signs of rolling over, our Sleep Suits and Sleep Bags™ will help you transition towards more independent sleep.  

Establish a nighttime routine 

A routine will help to establish a healthy sleep pattern that will last for years to come. This might look like a story, bath, lullaby, or feed.   

Change their naptime routine 

If they’re not napping enough or sleeping too much, change their routine accordingly. Plan your naps as though your little one has woken up past 6am and try to ensure their last nap isn’t later than 4.30pm.  

Maintain nighttime conditions 

Try to maintain nighttime conditions until 6am at the earliest, this will signal to your little one that it isn’t time to start the day yet. When your baby wakes up, give them time to self-soothe. If they still aren’t settled, enter the room quietly to feed as you would during the night (in a dark room without stimulating interaction). 

Try and earlier (or later) bedtime 

We all know that an early bedtime is beneficial for a good night’s sleep, but you might be putting your little one to sleep too early. This is down to trial and error, but once you find what works for you, try to stick to a time as this will reinforce a sleep routine that will last.  

Emphasise that it’s time to wake up  

To help your child learn the difference between morning and night, try emphasising your morning wake-up call. A bright ‘good morning!’ will reinforce to your little one that they’re not getting up because of persistent crying or refusing to go back to sleep, but because it’s the morning.  

Should I feed my baby at 5am? 

If your baby wakes at 5am and is struggling to settle, they might be hungry. We recommend feeding as though it’s still the middle of the night (keeping the lights down, staying quiet, and not overstimulating them). This will encourage them to resettle.  

Can dream feed cause early waking? 

Dream feeding is when you feed your baby whilst they’re half-awake. Some parents find this a helpful way to prolong their child’s next feed and in turn, encourage them to stay asleep for a longer period. However, every baby is different, and a dream feed can impact your child’s natural sleep cycle in different ways.  

Should I shift my baby’s bedtime if they’re waking up too early? 

Yes. Once you have introduced a good nighttime routine, created a relaxed setting, and controlled the temperature of the room – look at bedtime. If your little one is struggling to fall asleep, they might be overtired due to going to bed too early.  

Try shifting their bedtime to see if this makes a difference. 

How do I get my baby to sleep until 7am? 

To encourage your child to sleep until 7am, follow our tips above, from trying an earlier bedtime to reducing the number of naps they take during the day. It takes time to establish a sleep routine that will last for years to come.      

Should I let my baby cry it out at 5am? 

Your baby will inevitably wake up several times in the night to feed. The goal is to teach them to self-soothe over time. The ‘cry it out’ method is designed to enable parents and caregivers to teach their little one to fall asleep on their own. Every family is different, and it’s up to you to decide whether you want to try the method or not.   

If your child is still waking up earlier than they should, they might just be an early riser (this is when they wake up after 5.30am).