How To Stop Your Toddler Waking At 5am
Struggling with your toddler waking at 5am? You’re not stuck with early mornings. Learn why this happens and what you can do to help your child sleep longer.
I thought I was in the clear. My son had been sleeping through the night, waking up like clockwork at 7am the next morning.
But then, the wake-up time began creeping earlier and earlier to the point where they were cutting into my morning routine. There was no way I was going to let 5am be his new wake-up time. I knew kids woke up early, but that early?
Thankfully I found a few techniques to get him to wake up at his regular time again. And even if he happened to wake up early, I got him to stay in bed until it was time to start the day.
I hope you can apply these tips with your own toddler—you’re not stuck with 5am mornings, friend! Your days can start when you determine them, not when she wakes up. Here’s how:
Table of Contents
Move bedtime later
If your toddler wakes up too early crying, it might be because of an early bedtime along with a long midday nap.
Given that toddlers generally sleep 10-12 hours a night, putting him down at 7pm could easily mean a 5am wake-up the next morning. This is especially true if he seems content and well-rested the rest of the day (this means that he’s perfectly fine with 10 hours of nighttime sleep).
One simple way to handle early morning wakings is to adjust for a later bedtime. Shift bedtime back in 15-minute increments so he can sleep and wake up later. If bedtime is normally 7pm, stretch it to 7:15pm for a few nights until he gets used to that. Then, aim for a 7:30pm bedtime. Keep pushing it back until you reach the time you’d like him to go to bed.
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Shorten naps
Figuring out your child’s sleep needs starts with taking a big picture of his sleep patterns. For instance, one issue that can lead to early wake-ups is a long nap. The more he sleeps during the day, the less he might need at night. He might be getting by with 9-10 hours at night because he sleeps 3-4 hours during the day.
If this is the case, you can:
- Adjust naps earlier in the day: This allows for a lengthier time awake before bedtime, which can push bedtime later.
- Transition to one nap: If he’s still taking two naps a day, see if he can take one and reserve the rest of his sleep for nights.
- Wake him up after a certain point: If he’s taking long afternoon naps, wake him up after a certain time to make sure he can still sleep well at night.
Do strategic check-ins
It’s tempting to allow your day to start when your toddler wakes up crying every morning. But be firm with his wake-up time as you would with bedtime. You don’t have to start your day at 5am because he’s awake. Instead, teach him to wait and understand that wake-up time doesn’t happen the minute he’s up.
How? Implement strategic check-ins in the morning.
First, come with the right mindset, especially on your first few attempts. This means expecting that he’ll probably wake up at 5am, not hoping he’ll sleep in. Remain calm and focused, knowing you’re here to solve a problem that will get better.
Then, at the first sign he’s awake, walk into his room and explain it’s not wake-up time yet. Keep your tone subdued and your check-in short—30 seconds at most. Encourage him to go back to sleep until wake-up time. Re-tuck him in bed as you did the night before to signal you’re not here to get him up for the day.
At this point, make sure that everything is okay—for instance, that he hasn’t pooped in his diaper or isn’t feeling sick. But more than likely, he’s fussing and crying because he’s used to starting the day the minute he’s up.
Then, if he’s still crying 15 minutes later, go into his room and again explain that it’s not wake-up time yet.
Continue to do these check-ins until your desired wake-up time. He’ll likely cry or fuss the whole time those first few mornings, but he’ll learn that you mean what you say and won’t start the day until wake-up time.
And if he’s awake but quiet? Let him be and don’t check in. Not all kids can or want to go back to sleep in the early morning, especially if there isn’t a lot of time left anyway. It’s fine for him to lie down quietly and wait for you to come get him up for the day.
Keep the room dark and use white noise
Early morning hours can be rough in certain seasons when the sun is already up by 5am. I recommend installing darkening curtains in your child’s room, even if you already have blinds or shades. While it won’t be pitch-dark as it is at night, the curtains block most of the sunlight and signal that it’s still time to sleep.
Another must-have is white noise, which is another signal to keep sleeping. It can also muffle sounds that can startle him awake, from you getting ready in the kitchen to noise from the neighbors. The soothing sound can also comfort him to go back to sleep if he wakes up.
You can find noise white in many places, from white noise machines to apps, or even using a regular fan or heater.
Be consistent with your routines
Kids thrive with routine and consistency, including when they sleep and wake up. The more consistent you are with wake-ups, the more you’ll help build your toddler’s internal clock to accept a new wake-up time.
Think about daylight savings time and the changes she had to make to adjust to a new sleep cycle. But through routine and sometimes by need, she had to make do with a new toddler schedule. You can help her internal clock adjust to a later wake-up time in a similar way.
You’ll also want to focus on improving her naps. As they say, “sleep begets sleep.” The better quality her sleep is during the day, the better her nighttime sleep will be. Make sure she’s not overtired to the point that she can’t get a good night’s sleep.
Many parents have also recommended using a light-up toddler clock that signals when it’s time to wake up and get out of bed. While she may not be able to tell time, she can use the lights from the alarm clock to know when it’s okay to get out of bed.
Conclusion
Early rising is difficult for the entire family. But I’ve learned that we can change many of these disruptions with a bit of knowledge, consistency, and helping your toddler find a new time to wake up. With these simple tweaks, you can have your 7am mornings back once again.
Get more tips:
- 5 Tips to Try When Your Toddler Wakes Up Too Early
- Toddler Waking Up at Night and Not Going Back to Sleep
- What to Do When Your Toddler Is Hysterical at Bedtime
- How to Keep Your Toddler in Their Room at Night
- How to Create a Toddler Sleep Schedule
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