8 Tips to Solve Early Morning Waking

Struggling with a baby who wakes up before 6AM or sleeps for less than 10 hours at night?  Waking too early in the morning is such a common problem.  It’s very typical for a baby to wake around 5AM and not be able to get back to sleep.  Homeostatic Sleep Pressure and melatonin are low in the morning, so little things can easily wake your baby.  

I’m sure you’re thinking… wait…what?  Homeostatic Sleep Pressure?  Basically, this is our body’s “drive” or need for sleep.  So, when you’re awake all day that “drive” for sleep is really high.  As your body rejuvenates at night that drive gets lower and lower, therefore making it really difficult for your baby to fall back asleep once they have woken up in those wee hours of the morning. Melatonin is your body’s sleep hormone. It is at it’s highest earlier in the night, and it gradually drops as the night goes on.

Here are my top tips for getting your baby to sleep longer in the morning

1.      Make that bedroom DARK

We all operate with a natural circadian rhythm.  At night when it’s dark, our bodies naturally release melatonin, our sleepy hormone.  When the sun rises, our body releases cortisol, our awake hormone.  Even a tiny amount of light in a room can release that cortisol and cause your child to wake up early.

In the middle of the day, stand in your child’s room and turn off the lights.  Let your eyes adjust to the darkness.  What do you see?  Do you see an outline of your baby’s furniture?  Or maybe not an outline but you can FULL ON see every little detail of the room?  Either way, that room is too bright and may be causing your baby to wake up with the sun.

Determine where the light is coming in.  If it’s a window, the best way to block out all light is with Blackout EZ Blinds.  Seriously, I cannot say enough about these!  They block out 100% of light, and are also easy to roll up and allow light in during the day.  You can also use blackout blinds and blackout curtains (I like these from Target), but they tend to still let in a tiny bit of light.  An economical way to block out light is to duct tape a contractor trash bag to your baby’s window (this is also a great trick for travel).  If light is coming in the cracks of your baby’s door, you can put a twin fitted sheet around the door to fill in the cracks.  If you have light coming from a nightlight, remove it!  For kids who are scared of the dark, I suggest using a salt lamp or toddler clock on a red setting, as red tends to be less intrusive.  If there is light coming from electronic devices, find something to cover up that light (I use painter’s tape).

2.      Make sure that your child isn’t getting too much daytime sleep

If you took a really long nap, you would probably have a hard time falling asleep at night or would wake up really early the next morning.  The same goes for your baby!  Limit your baby’s naps to 2 hours each.  The exception would be if your baby is only taking one nap a day, then you can cap that nap at three hours.  It may also be time for your baby to drop a nap.  if you have a child who is already down to 1 nap and you are wondering if you should drop the nap, check out my blog post.

3.      Make sure that your baby is getting ENOUGH sleep

Overtiredness can actually lead to early morning waking!  I know that you may be thinking- but if I put my child to bed later, won’t they wake up later?  Alas, kids don’t work that way!  Overtiredness can actually cause interrupted sleep at night and waking too early in the morning.  Is your child napping well, and getting the recommended amount of sleep during the day?  If you’re unsure, check out my Wake Times Chart, which also includes how much daytime sleep and total sleep your child should get. 

4.     Adjust bedtime

Not enough sleep during the day, or maybe a bedtime that is actually too late can lead to a child who wakes early in the morning.  Check out my Wake Times Chart to figure out if your child is napping enough, or getting enough sleep at night.  You may need to move bedtime up a bit.

5.     Get your child out of a bad habit

For some, waking early is all that they know!  Kind of like if you’re used to waking up at 5:30 for work during the week, and can’t sleep in on the weekends.  Need help with your child who has formed a bad habit of waking up too early?  Check out my services for babies, my services for toddlers and preschoolers, or book a free evaluation call with me.

6.     Make your morning routine boring

I once had a client whose bedtime was creeping earlier and earlier each morning.  His momma was exhausted!  It turns out that first thing in the morning, he was taken to his bedroom window where he would look at construction trucks out the window.  

His morning routine was too exciting!  He was waking up early, anticipating looking out the window.  Once his parents implemented a boring morning routine, he started to sleep in.

Your boring morning routine can be as simple as changing your baby’s diaper and PJ’s and slowly making your way downstairs.

7.     Use white noise

Early in the morning, when sleep pressure is so light, the tiniest noise can wake a sleeping child.  Use white noise to block out any early-morning sounds.  This can also be soothing, lulling your child back to sleep if they wake up too early. This blog post will give you a more in-depth look at why I love white noise.

8.     Help your child develop better sleep skills

If your child is waking up multiple times at night, not napping well, or relying on you for sleep (nursing, rocking, etc), they need better sleep skills before they will be able to sleep longer in the morning.  Book a free evaluation call to find out how to work with me and get your child on the road to better sleep!

Did you find these tips helpful?  If you need some help along the road to better sleep and later mornings, check out my services to find out how to work with me!