Most parents cringe at the thought of their child waking up any earlier than 6:00am (and for some lucky parents even a pre-7am wake-up will cause distress!) but early wake-ups are common with babies and toddlers. The following are a few reasons that your previous 6:30am riser could start waking up with the roosters and what to do if you find yourself with this problem.
Overtiredness. Babies and children have a natural wake-up time of around 6:00-7:00am. If your child is otherwise sleeping through the night but begins to have an earlier-than-usual wake-up, this could mean that bedtime is too late/the stretch between last nap and bedtime is too long. Most children need a bedtime of between 6:00-8:00pm in order to be well-rested enough to sleep through the night. If the early wake-up is accompanied by nightwakings or if your child wakes up crying at the early wake-up, then overtiredness at bedtime may be to blame.
Bedtime is too early. Confusing, right? While an earlier bedtime can solve sleep issues related to overtiredness, being stuck in a perpetual early wake-up/early bedtime cycle is not ideal. If your child is taking good naps but is still going to bed early, an early wake-up may occur [babies and toddlers only have a certain amount of sleep in their ‘sleep bank’ every night, and will wake up when there isn’t any more sleep available in that bank!] If you are stuck in a perpetual early bedtime/early wake-up cycle, check out my schedule shift here for a game plan on how to get out of it!
New Milestones. Early wake-ups can be a side effect when babies & toddlers are on the verge of reaching a new milestone (rolling/crawling/walking/terrible two's/etc). In this case, an early wake-up could be the norm for 2-3 weeks.
Nap Transitions. Early wake-ups occur during all nap transitions in 95%+ of well-rested children who consistently sleep through the night. As you proceed through the nap transition, the early wake-ups should resolve, but if you are struggling with a nap transition, check out my Comprehensive Nap Transition Guide here!
Seasonal. The natural wake-up time of most children will shift earlier with the onset of an earlier sunrise. The effects of this earlier wake-up would be apparent in May, peak in June, and return to 'later' near the end of July. Ensuring that you have room darkening shades or using other methods to darken the room will be key to helping prevent this type of early wake-up. You can find my favorite affordable blackout options here!
Major Teething (e.g. top front teeth & molars). Although teething does not cause half of the sleeping problems that parents blame on it, the week before these teeth erupt can be particularly hard on baby and can cause a temporary early wake-up. Check out my blog on teething and sleep here!