Early Rising in Babies & Toddlers: Why It Happens and How to Fix It

Few things exhaust parents more than a baby or toddler who starts their day before the sun comes up. Those 4:45 a.m. wake-ups can impact your entire household, throw off naps, and leave everyone overtired.
But here’s the good news: early rising is one of the most fixable sleep issues once you understand the underlying cause.

As a professional sleep consultant and founder of The Lullaboo Nanny, I’ve helped hundreds of families shift early risers to much healthier morning patterns. If you’re struggling with crack-of-dawn wake-ups, this guide will give you the exact steps to turn mornings around.

Why Early Rising Happens

Early rising is rarely “just your child being an early bird.” In most cases, it’s a response to sleep pressure, timing, or environment.

Let’s break down the most common causes:

1. Overtiredness (The Most Common Cause)

It sounds backwards, but it’s true:
An overtired baby will often wake up earlier, not later.

Why?

When a child goes to bed overtired, their body produces cortisol (a wakefulness hormone). Cortisol makes sleep light, restless, and short — especially in the early morning hours when sleep pressure is lowest.

Signs your child is overtired:

• Bedtime battles

• Frequent night wakings

• Short naps

• Fussiness during wake windows

• Falling asleep instantly during feeds or rocking

2. Too Much Daytime Sleep

Just as too little sleep causes overtiredness, too much sleep can also result in early mornings.

Every child has a total amount of sleep they need in 24 hours. If they're oversleeping during the day, the morning is often where the “extra” sleep gets shaved off.

3. Environmental Disturbances

Children are incredibly sensitive in the early-morning window (4–6 a.m.).

Common environmental triggers:

• Light leaking in (even tiny cracks)

• Birds or outside sounds

• Temperature dropping early in the morning

• A noisy sibling

• Parent alarm clocks

A room that’s “pretty dark” is often not dark enough. Babies do best in pitch-black rooms until around age 2–3.

4. Habitual Early Wake-Ups

If your child has been waking early for weeks or months, their circadian rhythm may have shifted. In other words, their body now expects the day to start at 5 a.m.

The good news? Body clocks can be gently reset — and relatively quickly — with the right strategies.

How to Fix Early Rising

Now that we’ve identified the causes, let’s look at the steps that actually fix early wake-ups.

1. Adjust Bedtime (Usually Earlier!)

This is the most counterintuitive — and most effective — change.

If bedtime is too late, your child will:

• Fall asleep overtired

• Sleep more restlessly

• Wake very early

Try shifting bedtime 30–45 minutes earlier for 3–5 nights and watch the difference.

2. Reevaluate Wake Windows

Wake windows that are too long or too short can both lead to early rising.

If your child is:

• Fighting bedtime

• Taking short naps

• Waking frequently overnight

…their wake windows likely need adjusting.

Age-appropriate wake windows can transform early mornings almost overnight.

If you’d like personalised wake-window guidance, I offer tailored sleep plans based on your child’s exact age, temperament, and sleep patterns.

3. Improve the Sleep Environment

Your goal is to create a room where your child can’t tell whether it’s 3 a.m. or 7 a.m.

Checklist:

• Completely dark room (blackout blinds + curtain liner if needed)

• White noise (continuous, not on a timer)

• Room temperature: 18–20°C / 64–68°F

• Comfortable sleepwear

If the room is even slightly bright at dawn, you may be fighting a losing battle.

4. Delay the Start of the Day

If you immediately lift your child at 5 a.m., feed them, turn on lights, or begin the morning routine, they will interpret it as wake-up time.

Instead:

• Keep lights dim

• Keep interaction low

• Try to resettle

• If awake but calm, wait 10–15 minutes before “starting the day”

This teaches their body clock what morning truly means.

5. Reset the Body Clock Gradually

Rather than jumping from 5 a.m. to 7 a.m., adjust the wake-up time slowly.

For example:

• If your child wakes at 5:00 — aim for 5:20

• Hold 5:20 for 3–4 days

• Then aim for 5:40

• And so on…

Most children adapt quickly when timing is consistent.

6. Use a Morning Clock (For 18 Months+)

For toddlers, a wake-up light or morning clock can be life-changing.

They learn:

• Red = stay in bed

• Green = morning time

Consistency with morning rules is key. Expect 1–2 weeks of repeating boundaries before habits settle.

When You’ll See Improvement

For most families, early rising improves within 5–10 days when strategies are consistent.

For others — especially children with long-term patterns — it can take 2–3 weeks.

If nothing changes after making all the adjustments above, it often means something deeper is causing the early waking (e.g., sleep associations, nap imbalance, nutrient timing, or overtiredness cycles). In these cases, personalised support is incredibly effective.

Need Help Fixing Early Rising?

As The Lullaboo Nanny, I specialise in helping families:

• Shift early wake-ups

• Build healthy routines

• Improve night sleep

• Reduce sleep battles

• Create long-lasting, gentle sleep habits

If you’d like 1:1 guidance, you can book:

✨ A personalised sleep plan
✨ A virtual consultation
✨ In-home support (limited availability)

Just let me know your child’s age, current routine, and your sleep goals — I’m here to help you reclaim restful mornings.