4 Reasons for Early Morning Wake Ups

Prefer to listen? I also cover this topic on an episode of the Sleep By Alex Podcast called My Baby Wakes Up At 5:00! Click here to listen.

One of the most frustrating things we can deal with when it comes to baby sleep is early morning wake-ups. They can mess with the morning routine, throw off your baby’s nap schedule, and make for a tired/cranky baby and parent!

In this post, I will cover what counts as an early morning wake up, why these wake ups may be happening, and what you can do about them.

What counts as an early wake-Up?

So how early are we talking? While in an ideal world, we could all sleep in until 8:00 am with our babies, it’s just not realistic for most. A typical and reasonable wake-up time for your baby is between 6:00-7:00 am. If your baby wakes up anytime before 6:00, this is technically considered an early morning wake up.

Why is My Baby Waking Early?

There are a few things that may be causing your baby to wake up before 6:00. Here are a few common reasons:

Hunger

Many babies hang on to an early morning feed (usually around 4/5 am) until around 9 months old. If your baby is waking up early and they are younger than 9 months, they could need a feed. If this is the case for you, I suggest you feed your baby and put them back down to bed. If they don’t fall back asleep right away, give them some time. The more consistent you are, the quicker they will understand that it is not time to start the day at 5:00 am.

Daytime Sleep Issue

Early morning wake-ups can also be caused by a daytime sleep schedule issue. Both undertired and overtired babies tend to wake up early. If your baby is awake for too long before bed or is not getting enough daytime sleep, they are going to have a harder time staying asleep at night and sleeping until a decent hour. If your baby is waking up early but still seems tired or fussy, they may be overtired.

On the other hand, an undertired baby can also start to wake up early. If your baby is getting great daytime sleep and is waking up early happy and ready to go, they may be undertired.

Habit

Maybe your baby is used to getting that 5 am feed even if they are older than 9 months and no longer need it. They could continue to wake at that time out of habit. Your baby could also have the habit of needing support to get back to sleep. If your baby does not know how to fall asleep completely independently at bedtime, they may wake up early and not know how to fall back asleep on their own. If you are ready for a step-by-step plan for dropping your baby’s habit feed or teaching independent sleep skills, check out my 4-24 Months Sleep Training Course.

Discomfort

Tummy issues can often get worse in those early morning hours. If your baby struggles with gas or reflux, you may find that they are very unsettled and hard to get back to sleep in the early morning. If your baby has gas, work on getting good burps and bicycle kicks in during the day. If you suspect your baby is experiencing reflux, check in with your pediatrician.

How to Eliminate the Early Wake-Ups

Teach Independent Sleep Skills

If your baby is over 4 months old, I highly recommend teaching your baby to fall asleep and stay asleep independently. Until they can do this, the support they need from you in the early morning may remain unpredictable. If your baby does not have these skills, dropping that early morning wake-up may be tricky. 

Treat it as a Night Wake Up

It is important not to get up and start the day with your baby when they wake up before 6:00 am. This could just perpetuate their early morning wake-up. We want to make it clear that it is still nighttime. If your baby still needs that early morning feed, just feed them and get them back to bed. If they are awake for a while but are not crying, it is ok to leave them until they fall asleep or until it’s after 6:00. If your baby is having a hard time going back to sleep and is upset, try holding them in their dark room until 6:00 and then start the day.

Tweak Daytime Schedule

If your baby is not getting enough daytime sleep or is staying up too long before bed, they are likely going to experience more frequent night wakings and early mornings. Here are the average wake windows for babies before they go to bed:

0-3 Months: 1.5-2 hours

4 Months: 2 hours

5 Months: 2.5 hours

7 Months: 3-4 hours

14 Months: 5 hours

Babies that are getting too much daytime sleep can also start waking up early. If you think this is the case for your baby, it may be time to drop a nap or start capping naps until you find your baby’s sweet spot. Wondering how much daytime sleep your baby needs? Read about the averages here.

Ready to eliminate early morning wake ups? Let's do this.