The Dreaded Early Wakes

There are very few parents out there who are ready to start their morning in the 5am club.

So why could your baby be waking early? There are a few possibilities that might be causing these early starts, so let’s look into it a bit more.

Firstly, your early morning wake might look different to someone else’s, but I class anything before 6am as an early wake. Early wakes are really common for many families, and often we can be reinforcing them without realising it.

If your baby wakes at, say, 5:15am and you go in and get them up straight away, you’re likely to reinforce that early wake. I know it’s tough, but I recommend staying consistent with your settling approach or delaying your response slightly. Exposure to light, social interaction, and food all stimulate your baby’s brain and body clock, signalling it’s time to start the day.

If your baby is due for a feed at this time, of course offer it. It may be a small feed so it doesn’t impact their overall calorie intake for the day, then pop them back down to sleep.

Now let’s look at a few other common causes of early wakes.

Day Routine

If your baby’s routine is off balance, or their total sleep needs aren’t being met, this can lead to overtiredness. Overtired babies find it harder to settle at bedtime, which can cause more frequent wakes and yes, those early starts.

This is often due to a build-up of cortisol (the awake hormone), which naturally peaks in the early morning when we enter lighter phases of sleep. Review your baby’s routine and make sure their awake windows, including the last one before bed, are appropriate for their age.

Sleep Environment

This is a big one and something that’s talked about often, for good reason. It’s also one of the easiest things to control.

Triple-check that your baby’s room is as dark as possible to block out that early morning sun, which can trigger them to start their day too soon. Ensure your white noise machine is playing continuously at around 50–60 decibels to block out sounds like birds chirping or family members getting up early.

Developmental Changes

If your little one is going through a developmental leap, learning a new skill, or finding their voice, it’s likely to disrupt sleep, just as it would for us if we were practising something new over and over every day.

When babies enter lighter phases of sleep, they often use that time to practise new skills. Giving them space to do this can help, and they may even drift back to sleep once they’re done.

Sickness and Teething

Whenever something is off with a baby’s sleep or mood, teething is often the first thing that comes to mind and rightly so. Teething can cause disruptions to sleep, especially in the early morning when your baby is in a lighter sleep phase and more likely to feel discomfort.

Offer a sip of water, a milk feed, pain relief, or reassurance to help them settle back to sleep. Sometimes staying in the room while they drift off or gently placing a hand on them can provide the comfort they need.

If you’re still battling early wakes after trying these suggestions, reach out for a Troubleshooting Call and we can get you and your little one back on track.