11/12/2025
Is your baby a super early riser? Waking way before 6am? And getting them to go back to sleep for a couple of hours is exhausting and futile. I get it.
My son used to stand in his crib at 5am and call out the door “Get Up! Get Up!” Until one of us begrudgingly got up. It’s cute and funny now, but back then, it was exhausting and frustrating.
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Your baby has a natural sleep rhythm that might not fit into the strict schedules of sleep and wake windows we see.
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So why does your baby wake early?
- Is the time between their last nap and their bedtime too long?
- Has baby dropped a nap recently?
- Is their first nap too early due to the early rising?
- Is the amount of total sleep too high for your baby’s natural sleep requirements.
- Does their sleep environment need a tweaking, including their Jammies once the weather has gotten colder or warmer?
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Possible solutions can include:
- Naps too short? Consider a stroller or wrap nap to get a little more daytime sleep. Or move their bedtime a little earlier
- Do you want to try and adjust their bedtime? Try moving their bedtime (earlier or later) by 15mins every three days until you get the desired result.
- Is there environmental stimuli you can adjust. Earlier sunrise (Blackout curtains), cat meowing for food (white noise) Wet diaper (can you try overnight diapers or go up a size)
- Do they have a blankie/stuffy to keep them entertained while you get those final hours of sleep (over the age 6-7mths)
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For us, we introduced “Baby Tad” a large frog that you could play matching games on his tummy. Of course that brought other issues, when we heard baby tad giggling in the middle of the night after my son was already fast asleep….spooky!
