Is your baby waking too early?
| Kat Maddox
Do you have an early bird? Many of us, children and adult alike, are natural early birds. However, your baby waking up with the birds at the crack of dawn can start to take its toll on their sleeping patterns, as well as leaving us parents with a shortened night’s sleep. In today's blog we will discuss the concept of early waking, why it may be happening, and our very own Bebbington bear's top tips for early birds!
What is early waking?
A waking before 6am is typically considered as an early waking. The majority of young ones wake between 6.00 and 7.00am. The general guidelines for wake times for children up to age 12 are as below:
- 4.00-5.00am – still night time.
- 5.00-6.00am – an early waking.
- 5.30-6.00am – grey area (some children do well waking at this hour, but others struggle).
- 6.00-7.00am – age appropriate waking time1.
Why is my baby waking early?
If your baby is waking too early, they may be getting too much sleep (so much so that they are not tired), or too little sleep (meaning that they are overtired). It is important to ensure that your little one has a bedtime routine that works for them. Check out our previous blog for our three step bedtime routine.
Bebbington bears top tips
Tip #1 – sleep schedule
The first thing to do if your young one is waking too early is to examine their sleep schedule to ensure that they are getting enough sleep overall. Try putting your baby down earlier, gradually moving their bedtime up by 10 minutes each night to see if they sleep through for longer. Results from this may take a week or so to show through, but it may be a complete success! However, if too much sleep is the guilty party, try moving their bedtime later by 10 minutes each night. Bear in mind that you may also need to slightly change your feeding times too.
Tip #2 – balancing naps and bedtime
Take a look at your little ones nap times and lengths. A long morning nap could be used as a top-up from the lack of sleep the night before. Try to reduce the length of these naps, or move them to later in the morning to encourage a longer sleep at bedtime. Making adjustments to their balance of sleep can be all that is needed!
Tip #3 – light and sound
Your baby may be sensitive to light, causing them to wake as soon as the sun hits their bedroom. Try investing in some room darkening curtains or drapes to prevent the sun from beaming in. As the rest of the world wakes, cars, dogs and trucks begin to make noise outside which may wake your baby if they are a light sleeper. Try keeping their windows closed, or utilising an audiobook to create some white noise to mask the outdoor sounds.
Tip #4 – sleep environment
Studies have shown that by incorporating relaxing, natural aromas, this can help soothe the baby into a peaceful, higher quality of sleep. Creating a soothing environment for sleep can also improve the well-being of your little one, as it should support them from waking too early.
Lavender, pine, and thyme in particular are well-known essential oils for their naturally calming and soothing properties. Across the Klearvol range, we utilise these essential oils into a perfect blend of natural aromas; perfect for sweet and peaceful dreams. For more information, visit the Klearvol product page here.
By incorporating all of, or some of these tips into your bedtime routine, we hope that you and your little one will have a better quality of sleep - preventing those early birds!
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