Spring brings an increase in natural light which is a welcome relief after a cold, wet winter. This is also a contributing factor to our little ones waking early. This is one of the most common issues we hear about from families we work with so you are not on your own.
Babies sleep patterns
Most babies sleep for 11 -12 hours overnight so if they go to bed from 7, it is normal for babies to start the day between 6 – 7 the following morning. Whilst some babies are naturally early risers, we would still consider a 5am waking a middle of the night one. For some parents, accepting that their child is an early riser is something they can plan their days around but if your baby is cranky during the day or you see lots of resistance with their behaviour, this is a good indicator that your child needs more sleep.
Resolving early morning wakings can take time to overcome and this is because when your little one wakes, they do not have the same sleep pressure as they did at bed time so they will find it harder to get back to sleep. Having said that, if it is having an impact on your days, it is worth resolving.
What causes early morning wakings?
The function of sleep is to restore us so as the night progresses, our sleep pressure decreases and our energy tank refills. As your child transitions between their sleep cycles throughout the night, they may find it harder to resettle as they have less sleep pressure behind them and more energy in their tanks!
There are also other contributing factors ranging from hunger, developmental leaps, nap times and nap duration which may need adjusting to the right age and stage of development, poor sleep hygiene and environmental factors.
Tips for early morning wakings.
Before making any changes, we would suggest keeping a detailed diary over a week, looking at your child’s day, what they eat, drink, nap times and duration, moods and how they settle to sleep. Log what time they are going to bed and when they finally settle to sleep. This will give you a clear picture as to what is going on with your little one and what changes need to be made to help improve early morning wakings as it could be a small tweak that will make all the difference. Once you have done that, please use our tips below as a guide.
1: Keep a sleep diary.
If they are having too little sleep during the day, this will affect their overall sleep as sleep promotes sleep. When a baby is overtired it can work against them and they will find it harder to settle – sleep promotes sleep! By contrast, if they are having too much daytime sleep or going to bed too early, this will affect what time they wake to start their day.
2: Eliminating hunger.
Look at their diets so you can see what they are eating and the times of these meals/feeds. If you are unsure if they are hungry, I would suggest offering them a banana before bath time or a nice warm milky drink. This will give then the extra calories to help get them through to breakfast time. This is particularly important for little ones who are at nursery as they tend to offer them tea very early.
3: Sleep hygiene.
We would recommend following a routine of bath, brushing teeth, pyjamas on in your child’s room, dimming the lights, having some milk, reading a story and having a lovely cuddle before putting them in their bed for the night. Keeping the same calm routine every night helps your little one wind down, know what is expected from them and the consistency helps them to feel secure. It is also a lovely time for parents to spend with their child at the end of the day.
5: Sleep environment.
Make sure their room is mostly dark, there are no outside noises disturbing them or household noise which can include boilers or a parent getting up to have a shower to get ready for work.
4: Settling techniques at bedtime.
Are they falling asleep with any sleep props? This could be a dummy, feeding or being cuddled to sleep or having a parent in the room while they fall asleep. The way you settle your baby to sleep at bedtime is what they will expect when they wake at 5am.
If you have worked through your checklist above and your little one is still waking at 5am, it is important that you respond to them at 5am in the same way as you would in the middle of the night. Remember, if your baby is waking up babbling or playing in their cot at 5am, it is ok to leave them and give them the opportunity to settle themselves without needing your help to do so.
However, if you have tried to get things back on track and are having no luck, please do get in touch and let’s work through it together.
Recent Comments