Babies and children waking up early?! Not many of us want babies waking earlier than 6am or 7am, especially given we may have got up quite recently for a feed or settle. It is really common for babies and toddlers to wake early and there are multiple reasons why this may happen. It would be teething, hunger, temperature issues, noise, light, illness, milestones or developmental reasons or related to their routine. Children enter a lighter stage of sleep in the early hours of the morning, so early wakes in these hours are common due to the reasons mentioned. There are several considerations and factors to address your child’s early rising:

Hints to combat Early Rising

· Issues with routine are commonly the cause of early rising. Ensuring babies and children have enough sleep for the age of the child and that it is quality sleep (not always on the run)

· An age-appropriate bedtime is implemented. Having a later bedtime doesn’t mean the baby will sleep later in the morning, in fact, the opposite. A baby with a later bedtime will be tired and then wake early in the morning

· Ensuring the baby and child is warm enough and the colder mornings have been considered

· Noise in the house or outside the house can be a key wake up cause. This may be birds chirping, dogs barking or someone in the house who wakes earlier and makes noise

· Be aware of any developmental leaps that may be present and that a particular period of early rising is at the time of those changes in your child. If this is the case, the early rising should be short-lived

· Hunger is another reason for early rising. Ensure your child is eating adequately throughout the entire day and that protein is part of dinner to ensure they are fuller for longer (if eating solids). For younger babies, a dream feed might be beneficial and ensuring enough milk feeds through the day and earlier in the night

The Holistic Sleep Project