Early Rising in Babies and Toddlers: Why It Happens and How to Fix It
If your baby or toddler is waking at 5am (or earlier), you’re not alone and you’re definitely not doing anything wrong. Early rising is one of the most common sleep challenges parents face, and it can feel especially tough when your day starts before the sun does.
The good news? Early wakes are usually very fixable once you understand what’s causing them.
In this blog post you’ll find my tips, as a Sleep Consultant and Paediatric Nurse, to gently fix this issue of early rising.
What Counts as Early Rising?
Most babies and toddlers are biologically wired to wake somewhere between 6:00–7:00am. Anything significantly before this, especially consistent waking early at 4:30/5:30am, is considered early rising.
While it might seem like your child is just an “early bird,” in most cases, there’s an underlying sleep issue at play.
Why Is Your Child Waking Early?
Early wakes don’t happen randomly. They’re often linked to one (or more) of the following:
1. Overtiredness
This is the most common cause of early rising.
When a baby or toddler goes to bed overtired, their body produces more cortisol (a stress hormone), which can lead to lighter sleep and… you guessed it… waking early.
Signs this might be the issue:
Short naps
Late bedtime
Difficulty settling at night, resisting bedtime
2. Bedtime Is Too Late (or Too Early)
It might feel logical to push bedtime later to “sleep in,” but this often backfires.
An overtired child is more likely to wake earlier, not later.
On the flip side, a bedtime that’s too early (without enough daytime sleep pressure) can also lead to early wakes. All the sleep they need has been achieved by 5am, hence why they are up and ready for the day at this time!
3. Nap Imbalances
Daytime sleep has a big impact on mornings.
Too much daytime sleep → not enough sleep pressure for the morning
Too little daytime sleep → overtiredness → early rising
Your timings might be off too, a lovely 2 hour nap is great, but not if that finishes at 4pm. The sleep pressure just won’t be high enough to carry them through the whole night.
4. Sleep Environment
Even small environmental factors can trigger waking early:
Light creeping into the room
Birds or early morning noise
Household activity starting early
Your child’s body clock is very sensitive to light in particular—once it senses morning, sleep can be over.
5. Habitual Early Waking
If your child has been waking early for a while, it can become a habit.
Their internal clock starts to expect waking at that time, even if the original cause is gone.
How to Fix Early Rising
Now for the part you really want, how to shift those early mornings.
1. Adjust Bedtime (Carefully)
If overtiredness is the issue, try moving bedtime earlier by 15–30 minutes.
This often feels counterintuitive, but an earlier bedtime can actually lead to a later morning.
2. Optimise Nap Timing
Make sure naps are:
Age-appropriate in length
Ending at the right time of day
Not too close to bedtime
If naps are off, mornings usually are too.
3. Create a Dark Sleep Environment
Blackout blinds are a game changer.
Your goal is to make the room completely dark, especially in spring and summer when mornings get lighter earlier.
You may also want to use white noise to block out early sounds.
4. Treat Early Wakes Like Night Wakings
If your child wakes at 5am, try to respond as you would during the night:
Keep lights low
Minimise interaction
Encourage going back to sleep
Starting the day at 5am reinforces the habit of early rising.
5. Gradually Shift the Morning
If your child is stuck in a pattern of waking early, you can gently shift their body clock by:
Delaying the start of the day by 10–15 minutes every few days
Keeping feeds, breakfast, and light exposure consistent with your desired wake time
6. Be Consistent
Consistency is key when it comes to early wakes.
Small changes done consistently over several days are far more effective than big, inconsistent adjustments.
A Gentle Reminder for Parents
Early rising can feel exhausting, especially when you’re already running on broken sleep. It’s easy to assume this is just your “new normal,” but in most cases, it doesn’t have to be.
With the right adjustments, most children can shift to a more manageable wake-up time.
Need Support Fixing Early Rising?
If you’re dealing with persistent early wakes, waking early every morning, or you’ve tried everything and nothing seems to stick, you don’t have to figure it out alone.
I offer personalised, gentle sleep support tailored to your child, your parenting style, and your goals.
Whether you’re navigating early rising, short naps, or night wakings, I can help you create a clear, step-by-step plan to get your family sleeping better.
Book a consultation with me today and let’s work together to get your mornings starting closer to 7am—where they belong. 💛
For more information click here.
For both sleep support packages, I look through a sleep diary that you provide, giving you advice on changes that should be made to the routine. The main difference between both my support packages is the coaching support following the consultation. Most of my clients want to see the changes (because they have tried everything and are exhausted!) so opt for my 2 week coaching support. I’m there each day to support you with the change.
Look here for past client testimonials and feedback.