How To Stop Your Toddler Waking Up Too Early
Struggling with your toddler waking up too early? 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 early 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.
Cap nap time at 3pm
Believe it or not, many early wake-ups happen from a lack of quality sleep, not too much. For instance, if your toddler fights bedtime and ends up sleeping long past he’s supposed to, he just might wake up earlier than later. If sleep begets sleep, then you can imagine what lack of sleep can do.
Instead, cap nap time at 3pm so that he has plenty of time awake before bed. This allows him to fall asleep quickly and rest through the night, instead of waking up restless.
Need to adjust your nap schedule? You can do so gradually in 15- to 30-minute increments. Let’s say he usually naps until 4pm. Move nap time 30 minutes earlier (or wake him up at 3:30pm) until he has settled into that pattern. Then, adjust even further, so that he’s awake by 3pm.
Don’t reward early wake-ups
You might not think you’re rewarding your toddler during these early wake-ups, but she might see it differently.
Giving attention of any kind—positive or negative—rewards her in some way. For instance, don’t get her up for the day, even if it’s to drink a cup of milk or snuggle with books. Avoid turning on the television or bringing her to your bed until you’re ready for the day.
Similarly, avoid engaging in power struggles, even if you’re sleep deprived and delirious. Not only is she less likely to take in any lessons, but you’re also reinforcing the wake-ups with your attention (even if negative).
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 early 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 early, 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.
Consider your toddler’s needs
Sleep needs are constantly changing in early childhood, from transitioning to one nap to needing less sleep. Check with your child’s pediatrician to see how many hours a day he should be sleeping, especially for older toddlers. For all you know, he might be getting too much sleep in the day, affecting how well he sleeps at night.
If so, maybe it’s time to put him down for a later bedtime, especially if he’s asleep at an early hour. (However, try not to go later than 8:30pm.) You could also experiment with his naps, either by dropping one or shortening their length.
Besides sleep, see if he could also be waking up because of hunger. If he eats a light dinner or eats it early, he might be hungry come 4am. If so, give him more food at dinner, push dinnertime later in the evening, or offer a bedtime snack to tide him over until the next morning.
Teach your toddler when to wake up
Kids don’t always know when it’s the right time to wake up, especially when they’re too young to even tell time at all. Still, you can find creative ways to signal when it’s okay for your child to wake up or whether he should stay asleep.
Let’s say you want him to wake up no earlier than 6am. Place a digital clock in his room and cover the minutes’ side with painter’s tape. Teach him what the number “6” looks like on the digital clock, and let him know that he can only get out of the room when the clock says “6.”
Another way is to use a toddler alarm clock that lights up at a certain time. Set the clock’s light to turn on at the wake-up time you want. That way, any time it’s off should let him know that it’s still time to sleep.
Break unsustainable habits
How many of the “solutions” to your toddler’s early wake-ups are sustainable? Letting him sleep in your bed or putting a pacifier in his mouth might seem like quick fixes, especially when you’re exhausted. “I won’t do it tomorrow, I promise,” you vow to yourself.
But of course, the next morning rolls around and you bring him to your bed and insert the pacifier 10 times yet again. You’re exhausted, no doubt—except these quick fixes only reinforce the very habits you’re trying to eliminate.
Instead, think of the “Band-Aid” analogy. The temporary pain of replacing old habits and sleep associations might hurt for a short time, but over the long run, you’re setting him up for good sleep.
Get your toddler up at the same time every morning
Sometimes your toddler cries for you because he’s not sure if or when you’re going to get him up for the day. He might wake up at 4am because he’s not sure what time you’ll get him up.
But he can be more willing to wait if he knows that you always get him at the time you say you will. Let’s say you tell him that you’ll get him up at 6:30am, and you do this with consistency. He won’t feel anxious about when you’ll get him up because he knows you always do.
Allow him to experience what it’s like to wait in his room. Then, make sure to praise him for waiting and trying to fall back asleep so he continues this behavior. The more you stay consistent, the less anxious he feels about when to start the day.
Make no (or few) exceptions
Dealing with tantrums at four in the morning isn’t exactly any sleep-deprived parent’s ideal way to start the day. No wonder so many of us relent and bring our kids to our bed, start the day early, or otherwise cave in to their demands.
The problem? These “quick fix solutions” reinforce the very habits you’re trying to break. Your toddler now thinks it’s fine to wake up at an early hour when you allow him to.
Think about a few non-negotiable rules you enforce, from sitting in a car seat to not hitting his new baby sister. Just as you would never allow him to sit without a car seat or continue to bonk the baby on the head, so too should you be as firm on early wake-ups.
One way to help you better enforce these new habits is to brace yourself the previous night. Tell yourself you might have an early morning to deal with his wake-up (you might even go to bed earlier than usual).
Then, be firm about his requests to get out of the crib, despite his bedtime tantrums. Supply him with books and toys to keep him occupied, then close the door behind you. Repeat these behaviors morning after morning and he can learn to put himself back to sleep or entertain himself until wake-up time.
Adjust your toddler’s nap
Do you have an amazing napper? As great as a long nap may be, it could be contributing to her early wake-ups.
Kids’ sleep is based on the total hours they slept within a 24-hour period, not just during the night. If she’s taking a four-hour nap during the day, she may not need as many hours of sleep at night. And if she goes to sleep at a decent hour, she’s bound to wake up early the next day.
Another factor is when she takes a nap. An early nap time might feel necessary because she woke up early in the morning. If she’s napping at 10:30am or 11am, try keeping her awake until around 12pm.
Experiment with naps, whether their length or timing, to see if that can encourage her to wake up at a later hour in the morning.
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:
- 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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