Amber LoRe, a baby and toddler sleep consultant with The Baby Sleep Site, helps you figure out why your toddler is waking up so early during the summer, and how to get them to sleep later.
Q. Why is my toddler waking so early in the summer? Can I help him sleep later?
A. Many babies and toddlers will often start waking for the day early in the morning, especially in the summer. As the mother of two young children, I know that unintentionally starting your day before 6am can be absolutely brutal. But you don’t need to accept such early rising! There are a number of things you can try in an effort to help your toddler sleep a bit later.
- Reconsider your toddler’s schedule. We find that most cases of early rising are due to schedule issues. It’s counter-intuitive, but if your toddler goes to bed too late, this can often result in early waking due to over-tiredness. Younger toddlers generally cannot be awake for more than 5 hours before bed without getting over-tired. Of course, early bedtimes can be difficult for a variety of reasons, especially if you are on vacation. It can be hard to get children to bed on time when you have long days at the beach and late night family barbeques! But if your toddler is younger than 2 years old and they are awake for more than 5-5 ½ hours in between their nap and bedtime, consider moving bedtime just 30 minutes earlier for several nights. This can help combat over-tiredness and often results in more sleep at night. For older toddlers (2 years and older) we often find that early waking is actually caused by a bedtime that is too early. Many children this age need to be awake for 6 or more hours before bedtime in order to be sufficiently tired and sleep 10-12 hours at night. So consider moving bedtime a bit later if your older toddler is awake for less than 6 hours before bed to see if it helps them sleep longer in the morning.
- Review your toddler’s food intake. Another common cause for early waking is hunger, especially for energetic toddlers. Running outside and swimming in the sun is lots of fun, but those activities burn extra calories. Try moving dinner closer to bedtime if it’s before 6pm, or consider adding another snack before bedtime. “Dessert” doesn’t necessarily need to be full of empty calories. Filling foods with a bit of protein, such as yogurt, peanut butter and bananas, or crackers and milk can help little ones sleep longer the next morning.
- Rethink your toddler’s sleep environment. Our bodies are wired to rise with the sun. If the sun shines in your toddler’s bedroom in the morning, consider using black out blinds or curtains to darken the room. We want to keep them in the darkened room until at least 6am to help them physically readjust to a new schedule and learn to wake at a later time. If the birds chirping or the neighbor’s dogs can be heard, you may want to use white noise to muffle those sounds. Although many toddlers may not be able to tell time, they can learn to stay in bed until an appropriate time with the use of a toddler clock, which lights up at a time set by the parents. It’s a method of behavioral modification that helps your child understand when it is still “night” and when it is morning and therefore “okay” to get up. I have used one with my son for years, and continue to do so even though he is 5 years old. Even though he can tell time now, it has helped him learn to stay in bed until 7am throughout his kindergarten school year. As a night owl myself, this has been essential to making sure I get enough rest, too. I think most parents can agree that we are more effective and patient when we are well rested! We know being a parent to a young toddler is tough enough, let alone before the sun rises. Keep in mind that most parents won’t allow their toddler to get up at 3am, so don’t let him get up at 5am either. With some limit setting and your consistency, you too can have a toddler who wakes after the rooster crows. Good luck!
