Pre 6am would be classed as early rising. Anything after 6am is a bonus!
1. Overtiredness (not well rested and/or bedtime is too late)
2. Environmental Factors (noise, light, temperature)
3. Parental Reinforcement
Overtiredness is the number one thing that causes Early Rising in children. This can be caused by bedtime being too late, poor naps and the wake period between the last nap and bedtime being too long. If a child goes to bed overtired their little body will be pumped full of adrenaline and cortisol. These hormones can make it extremely hard for the body to produce the sleep hormone melatonin which is so important in order for a child to maintain their sleep past 5am. Essentially the run out! If you see that your child is sleepy at around 6pm and then appear to get a 2nd wind and seem full of energy come 7:30pm and you are dealing with 5am starts then you are more than likely dealing with this scenario. Many parents feel that a later bedtime will lead to a later start time to the day when in fact the opposite can be true. A great line to remember is “it's not logical it's biological!”
Another tip is to ensure that the afternoon nap is longer than the first nap of the day for babies of about 9 months or more. Pay attention to how long they are awake after this nap too. A 2pm wake may lead to a 6pm bedtime where as a 3pm wake you can push the 4 hours to 7pm.
External Factors can be something that you can troubleshoot quite easily. As I have mentioned after 5am we are in an exceptionally light phase of sleep and what may not have disturbed us around midnight may wake us at 5am. If a parent is leaving early for work and must get ready perhaps explore the use of a sound machine. This would also apply to living beside a busy road. Making sure a child is not too hot or more than likely too cold at that time too is important. If a child is having overnight feeds still then a very wet heavy nappy can often lead to them feeling cold. Perhaps a change before the last feed may help. Finally, and most importantly, light. If your child’s bedroom is getting bright in and around the time,
the light is waking them. I get inundated with email enquiries in relation to early rising in June and July. I am based in Ireland where sunrise is 5:15am on June 21st the longest day of the year. The first thing I will always suggest is to make sure the room is pitch black.
Parental Reinforcement can be so hard to break as you feel that you need to intervene to stop a wake or not allow it to escalate when in fact you may be setting that early wake time in stone. Your baby wakes at 5am everyday and you appear at 5am everyday beside the cot!Or your toddler wakes at 5:30am and you get them up, turn on the TV, and give them milk. This becomes 5:20am and then 5am etc. Do not get a child up or out of their room pre 6am. Ideally if you know they are safe and can fall asleep independently keep interaction to a minimum. Sitting beside the cot may be infuriating to them and lead to a lot of upset if they are used to you coming in and getting them up for the day. For an older child, an “okay to wake” clock can give them a great reference point that it is still in fact nighttime. Using phrase like “Mr. Moon is still on the clock so we need to keep our body in the bed” and “When the clock turns yellow and Mr. Sun wakes up I can’t wait for you to come in and get me!”
As with everything consistency is key. There is no quick fix with early rising it takes times and dedication but the difference an appropriate start time to the day can make for the whole family is worth it.
Written by Heather - Certified Baby and Child Sleep Consultant and founder of @thelullabylady