Early waking has a reputation for being one of the most difficult problems to tackle with a child. It is particularly common with children that are between 1 and 2 years old. Babies naturally wake up after a long block of sleep, even if you don’t consider it to be a full night’s sleep. After a block of sleep a baby or small child will have difficultly settling back down because they have slept enough, are hungry or wet. With slightly older babies, he or she may actually get excited for the coming day and it’s just hard to go back to sleep after waking up as a result.

Dealing With Early Waking

Waking up between 6am and 8am is considered very normal for a child. You can often encourage your child to sleep a little later by keeping them up just a little later at night before bedtime. Their days should be filled with fun activities ensuring that they’re tired at night and ready for bed. As long as you child is waking up happy and rested then it’s perfectly normal for them to possibly wake up at dawn and be ready for the day.

Early waking is a problem if your child is waking up looking tired or if they wake up too early crying. If your child wakes up crying at dawn, you might be tempted to feed them and then take them into your own bed. This can easily turn into a bad habit and should be avoided. If your child is waking early and then taking an exceptionally long or exceptionally early daytime nap then there could also be an issue with their sleep.

Treat problematic early waking just like you would treat nighttime waking. If you respond consistently it will help your child to settle and go back to sleep for a few hours until both of you are more rested. Avoid unnecessary feedings if you can and you absolutely don’t want to encourage your baby to join you in bed.

Assessing Sleep Skills

If early waking is unnatural and causing a problem then you’ll need to take a closer look at your baby’s sleep. One of the keys to a good night’s sleep is a solid bedtime routine. A routine helps your baby develop good sleeping habits and it also lets them know when it’s bedtime. Routines should be relaxing and soothing, encouraging sleep. Avoid anything too exciting right before bed. Excitement should be reserved for playtime during the day.

You need to help your baby distinguish between daytime and nighttime. This will also help them begin to naturally recognize morning. Don’t let your baby cry for a prolonged amount of time when they wake up too early. Go to them promptly like you would in the night, sooth them, and begin to explain that it is still “sleep time.” As your child gets older you can get him or her a training clock and this will further help establish what time they should be waking up.