Dealing with Early Morning Wakes – What’s Causing It and How to Fix It!
One of the most common challenges parents face is early morning waking. If your baby consistently wakes up before 6 a.m., it can leave both you and your little one feeling overtired and cranky. But before you resign yourself to sleepless mornings and start your day at the crack of dawn, it’s important to understand what might be causing these early morning wake-ups – and how you can fix them! Lets look at what could be contributing to those early wake-ups and how to start addressing them today.
What’s Causing Early Morning Wakes?
There are a few major factors that can impact why your baby is waking up too early. The three most common are:
Social Interaction
Light
Food
Let’s dive into each of these and how they play a role in early rising.
1. Social Interaction: How Your Morning Routine Reinforces Early Waking
If your baby’s daily routine is a bit off-balance, early waking can quickly become a habit. One of the most common culprits? The morning nap is too early, reinforcing the early wake-up. Here’s how it works:
If your baby wakes at 5 a.m. and by 8 a.m. they are already struggling to stay awake, it’s natural to put them down for a nap. However, this early nap reinforces the early wake-up! Your baby’s body clock starts to recognize that waking at 5 a.m is OK because they’ll get a nap shortly after.
The fix? This is where social interaction, light, and food come into play! At 5 a.m, if you’re turning on lights, giving them a feed, and making yourself a coffee, you’re signaling to your baby’s brain that it’s time to start the day. Instead, try limiting interaction at this hour. Keep the lights off, offer a feed only if necessary, and work to resettle them. This helps communicate that it’s still sleep time.
2. Light & Environment: Creating the Perfect Sleep Space
Another big contributor to early morning waking is your baby’s sleep environment. Here are a few environmental factors that can disrupt sleep in the early morning hours:
Light exposure: Even a small amount of light seeping into the room can signal to your baby’s brain that it’s time to wake up. Make sure the room is dark – blackout curtains can be a lifesaver here!
Temperature changes: Between 3 and 4 a.m., the temperature usually drops. If your baby isn’t warm enough during this period, they may wake up because they’re uncomfortable. Double-check that they’re dressed appropriately for the cooler early morning hours.
Noise: If your household is like mine, someone might not know how to be quiet early in the morning! Loud noises can also cause early waking. Using white noise can help block out sounds from other people waking up or moving around the house.
By addressing these environmental factors, you can help prevent unnecessary wake-ups that happen before your baby is ready to start the day.
3. Food: Is Hunger Causing Early Wakes?
If your baby isn’t getting enough calories throughout the day, hunger could be the reason they’re waking up early. Food and sleep are closely connected, so it’s important to ensure your baby’s feeding schedule supports longer stretches of sleep.
Here’s how hunger might be the culprit:
If your baby’s last feed or solid meal was too early in the evening, they might wake up hungry.
If they haven’t had enough feeds or solids during the day to sustain them, they could wake up out of hunger in the early hours of the morning.
The fix? Consider adjusting your feeding schedule to ensure your baby gets enough calories during the day, particularly later in the afternoon or early evening. A well-fed baby is much more likely to sleep through the early morning hours without needing a feed.
Tired of Early Morning Wake-Ups? Get Expert Help with My Sleep and Feed Guides!
If early rising has become a regular challenge in your household, don’t worry – help is here! My Feed and Sleep Guides offer tailored solutions designed to help your little one sleep longer and better.
These easy-to-follow guides provide:
Step-by-step routines to establish healthy sleep habits for your baby
Practical feeding schedules to ensure your baby is well-nourished and able to sleep longer stretches
Need Personalized Support? Book My 1:1 Ultimate Sleep Support Package
If you feel like you need a more personalized approach to your child’s sleep struggles, I also offer my Hello Sleep 1:1 Ultimate Sleep Support Package. This package is perfect for parents who want tailored, one-on-one guidance to address their baby or toddler’s specific sleep challenges.
With the Ultimate Sleep Support Package, you’ll receive:
A fully personalized sleep plan tailored to your child’s unique sleep habits and challenges
A 45-minute 1:1 call where we’ll walk through the plan in detail and address any concerns
Continued support as you implement the plan, making adjustments as needed to see real progress
If you’re ready to get started on your journey to better sleep, you can easily book this service by visiting my website or sending me a DM to schedule your consultation!
