12/08/2026
Early waking is one of the most common sleep struggles I see, and the answer isn't always an earlier bedtime.
One of the first things I'd look at is what's happening with daytime sleep.
As babies and toddlers grow, their sleep needs change. If they're getting more daytime sleep than they currently need, or their last nap is finishing too late, there may simply not be enough sleep pressure left to support the full night you're hoping for.
Think of sleep pressure like an appetite for sleep. It builds while we're awake and reduces while we sleep.
So if your little one is regularly waking at 5am or 5.30am, have a look at the whole 24 hours rather than focusing only on the early wake.
Ask yourself:
Is their nap schedule still appropriate for their age and individual sleep needs?
Are naps becoming difficult to achieve?
Is bedtime becoming harder?
Are they taking longer to fall asleep than they used to?
Are they getting a lot of daytime sleep?
Could the final nap be finishing too late?
Sometimes a small adjustment to daytime sleep can help redistribute sleep back towards the night.
But this is important. Don't immediately start cutting naps just because your child wakes early.
Early waking can also be influenced by bedtime timing, hunger, light exposure, environmental factors, developmental changes and the way we respond to that early wake.
It's about finding the reason behind your child's pattern rather than applying one generic fix.
Save this if 5am has become an unwanted member of the family 😴
And if early mornings are your biggest sleep struggle, comment EARLY and I'll share more on what I'd look at first.