Why does a child wake up early in the morning? How to teach a child to sleep at a time convenient for parents The child wakes up early

One of the usual reasons for waking up early is that the baby has already had enough sleep. If your two-year-old sleeps for two hours during the day and then gets his average number of hours of evening and nighttime sleep, he has eleven hours of sleep at night. If he goes to bed at 7:00 pm, guess what happens? Eleven hours later... it's just 6:00! (As you know, many people in America get up at 5:00 or even before this time, without considering it too early.)

But in any case, you have no right to expect that he will sleep longer in the morning simply because you went to bed after midnight or spent the whole night with his little brother and want to get some more sleep.

First things first - the most important things

If your baby actually wakes up too early, you have two options at your disposal. In accordance with the first of them, bedtime should be gradually shifted by about ten to fifteen minutes until the child goes to bed a full hour later compared to the previous time and sleeps in the morning an hour longer. Your baby feels better if he falls asleep earlier and that changing his bedtime does not affect his wake-up time. Do not deprive yourself of the opportunity to experiment in this matter in order to find that middle ground that will be good for both of you.

In accordance with the second option, you yourself should go to bed early, and then waking up your child earlier will work in your favor. This approach can give even better results than you think, since most larks are cheerful in the morning, but, on the contrary, are capricious in the second half of the evening. In other words, by adjusting your family’s schedule, you will be able to spend more happy time together.

Why does a child wake up too early?

If you have totaled up your baby's sleep hours and determined that too much sleep is not the reason for his early awakening, then you have a real opportunity to increase your baby's sleep time in the early morning. Before moving on to general tips and tricks on how to do this, try to figure out why your child wakes up too early and how you should approach these problems. I bring to your attention a description of several factors that can contribute to the baby’s morning awakenings.

Other reasons why your baby may be waking up early

Call of nature

Perhaps the baby has a wet diaper, diaper or special pants, or he needs to use the toilet.

Solution: Give your child less liquid an hour or two before bed. Include a few trips to the toilet or potty in your bedtime routine. Use double diapers or highly absorbent overnight diapers. If your baby is familiar with the potty, teach him to use the toilet independently during the night and leave a night light in the hallway. If the child has not tried this before, then perhaps he does not even understand that he is quite capable of doing this without outside help.

Comfort

The baby's blanket slipped off; the house became cool, and the child froze. Or it got warmer outside and he felt hot.

Solution: Adjust the temperature in the house, place a fan on the baby's dressing table or dresser (so that the device itself and all its electrical cords are out of the child's reach), or change the type of pajamas or blanket.

Hunger

The baby is awakened by a feeling of hunger. Solution: Give your child a low-sugar, high-carb snack before bed. Leave him a plate of crackers and a cup of water on his bedside table.

Habit

The baby has been waking up early for a long time, and now his internal alarm clock goes off at this usual time.

Solution: Gradually adjust your child's nighttime and daytime sleep schedules until he falls asleep and wakes up at more appropriate times.

Poor nap routine

The baby goes to bed during the day either too early or too late, or sleeps too often, or for too long.

Solution: Rearrange your child's nap schedule as recommended in Tip 2.

My son is 2.9, a very active, lively, nimble child. From birth we adhere to enough strict regime, I am always convinced that he is comfortable living in such a rhythm. But! he wakes up terribly (in my opinion) early - around 5.45 - 6.15. He wakes up, however, cheerful.
Mode ours is like this: getting up at 6 am, breakfast at 7.30-8.00, first walk from 11 to 13, lunch at 13.30, falls asleep around 14.00 (easily and willingly), sleeps for 3 hours until 17, then afternoon snack, walks a second time from 18 to 19.30-20.00, then straight away dinner, a bath before bed and at 21.30 we fall asleep (again, quite easily).
I tried to put him to bed later - the same result. Is it probably also wrong to artificially reduce daytime sleep? Do we really need to do anything? This early rise, of course, is tiring, first of all, for me... he himself does not like to play in the morning, he requires the participation of a half-asleep mother.

Answered by Komarovsky E. O.

It is clear that the child has no problems, but if rhythm of a child's life does not coincide with the rhythm of his parents, you still have to react. It is impossible for a child to enjoy life while upsetting mom and dad. The most reasonable thing is to move it by 2 hours nap. Play around and go for a walk earlier, or arrange a walk so that you don’t want to come home. In general, tire and lay down 16, lift at 19, put down at 24, etc. I don't know any other options. I would do exactly this with my child.

If the baby's routine has changed and, for no apparent reason, the baby begins to wake up early in the morning when the parents are still sleeping, this can become a real problem. Many mothers, having put their children to bed in the evening, continue to finish household chores, and they go to bed much later than their children. Of course, in the morning they want to sleep at least until 7-8 o’clock, but, alas, the little toddler is already active. And if such a situation drags on and becomes normal, then the result is obvious - irritability, fatigue, stress. And there it’s not far from depression. Common situation? Today we will discuss possible reasons why a child wakes up early in the morning. What should parents do, how to solve the problem?

First, you need to decide what constitutes an early rise. Some people complain that their children wake up before 9 am, while others complain that their children wake up at 5 am. In fact, if the baby is able to sleep until 7 am, this is normal. Most babies get enough sleep and feel great before this time. However, getting up before 6.00 should be considered a deviation from the norm.

But let’s make a reservation that babies most often wake up very early, between 5 and 6 o’clock. This is due to the need to eat. Babies after 8 months (normally) can wake up at night for one feeding, after which they sleep peacefully until 7-8 o’clock in the morning. After a year, the need for night feeding usually disappears, and continuous night sleep continues from 21 to 7-8 hours. So, by early rise (by default) we will consider waking up before 6.00.

Why does a child suddenly wake up early??

Let's look at the main reasons for early awakening in children. There are quite a lot of them:

Hunger;
Growth spurts;
Improperly organized regime;
Overexcitement;
Discomfort;
External factors;
Health problems (lack of iron).

Now let's talk about each point in detail.

Hunger. As already mentioned, children under one year old who feed on mother's milk often ask for breastfeeding several times a night, and early morning is no exception. It happens that after the next feeding they can no longer sleep, especially when one of the household members is already walking around the house, getting ready for work, and it is light outside.

What's happened growth spurts readers of Popular About Health may ask? These are time periods when children are actively growing, and their need for food increases. During this period (several days, sometimes weeks) babies have a good appetite; they may feel hungry early in the morning, which is why they wake up.

Overexcitement. In addition to the fact that the child wants to eat in the morning, early awakening can also provoke excessive overstimulation the day before. For example, you were visiting or grandma came, the child played a lot and had fun. Excessive emotions often provoke sleep disturbances in children.

Late bedtime or irregular routine the baby will certainly affect the quality of his sleep. Some parents think that if they put their daughter or son to bed later, he will sleep longer in the morning. This is a misunderstanding. If a baby regularly does not get enough sleep, cortisol, a stress hormone, increases in his blood, which will certainly affect the quality of the child’s sleep.

Discomfort is another reason we should consider. If the baby is bothered by a wet diaper, he is hot or cold, then he simply cannot sleep normally. In the first half of the night this is not so noticeable, since sleep is deep at this time, and in the morning it is superficial, so any discomfort can provoke awakening.

External factors– this is light, extraneous noise. In the summer, when the sun rises early in the morning, children usually wake up with it. The sun's rays, penetrating through the window, are a signal that morning has come, which means it's time to get up.

How do health problems affect early awakening? It turns out that with anemia, which can occur hidden, children wake up very early. If you notice, among other things, that your baby sleeps restlessly at night, that daytime sleep has decreased somewhat, you should get tested for ferritin. It will show the level of iron reserves in the tissues, not in the blood. It is interesting that sometimes this indicator is greatly underestimated, but the analysis of hemoglobin in the blood is within normal limits.

What to do if your child starts waking up early in the morning?

Why did I wake up early? Based on this information, you can understand what to do. First, you need to minimize all possible causes of discomfort. That is, use high-quality diapers at night that do not leak, dress the baby in comfortable clothes, make sure that the room where you place the child has a comfortable temperature (20 degrees) and an acceptable level of humidity (about 60%).

At night, the baby must eat. If we are talking about a baby, then you will have to feed him as needed, there’s nothing you can do about it.

Be sure to minimize the influence of external factors - hang thick curtains on the windows, and ask your husband not to make noise when he gets ready for work.

Follow the routine strictly, always put your child to bed at a set time, for example, at 21:00. Try not to be in crowded places in the evenings and not to receive guests so that the baby does not become overexcited. Oddly enough, but sometimes going to bed earlier helps prolong morning sleep.

Remember, if a child is cheerful and cheerful after a night's sleep, he plays calmly until the lunch break, then his routine is absolutely normal. If your son or daughter’s routine has gone astray, which causes discomfort not only for the child, but also for his parents, then it is important to understand what caused this, and then try to eliminate the negative factor.

"Early risers" or my child wakes up very early in the morning.

Many babies actually wake up very early, to the chagrin of their parents, who would happily sleep another hour or two. Let's figure out if your baby is really an "early bird" and what can you do to allow yourself and him to sleep some more time in the morning?

Too early - what time is it?

We believe that waking up between 6 and 7.30 corresponds to the biological rhythms of the body. We consider all awakenings that occur before 6 am to be early awakenings.

Why do children wake up so early in the morning?

Waking up early, at 5 or 5.30, is quite common in children of any age. Children who wake up early become tired and cranky in the first half of the day. As paradoxical as it may sound, the reason for waking up early is going to bed late. They wake up early not because they are alert and ready to start the day, but because they are sleep-deprived.

If your child gets up before 6 o'clock, he may be overtired. Overtired children do not sleep as well or as long as rested ones. Perhaps your baby:

Stays up too late

Doesn't get enough sleep during the day

Stays awake too long between the last nap and the last nap

Goes to bed too sleepy. If this is the case, then the child will not be able to fall asleep on his own when he is a little more awake, for example, at 5 am.

What is important to know about early awakenings?

Please note that adjustments to early awakenings may take several weeks. And the older the baby, the stronger the habit of waking up early. Start making adjustments as early as possible!

If you are correcting early awakenings, then following the correct sleep conditions becomes very important! Consider dark curtains, quiet, and minimizing entertainment and distractions in the morning. The level of melatonin in the blood in the morning is at a minimum level, so falling asleep in the morning is much more difficult than in the evening.

Figure it out, does the child wake up in a good or bad mood? Does your child wake up hungry? Perhaps the baby is cold? Or does a wet diaper cause discomfort?

Free webinar Sleep, Baby “Early Birds”

How to stop waking up early in the morning?

2) Make sure that extraneous noise does not wake the child. The noise of a janitor, garbage trucks, a dad getting ready for work - all these sounds can wake up a baby sleeping in a light, shallow sleep. will mask external sounds and work as a “sleep association” that can prolong sleep.

3) Comfortable temperature and sleep clothes. In the morning, it can be very cold in the bedroom. To be sure that the baby does not freeze, do not throw off the blanket, carefully

4) Make morning feedings comfortable. The baby may wake up hungry in the morning. In order not to let him wander, organize feedings comfortably. The flashlight shines with dim light so as not to wake up the baby and parents, and the vibration function will not allow you to fall asleep with the baby in your arms.

We have selected for you the most useful products that will help improve your baby's sleep.

Many parents complain that their baby wakes up too early. Whether this is a problem depends on how early your bird is. It is necessary to distinguish between children who wake up early but do not get enough sleep and children who wake up early and get enough sleep, but their parents are disturbed.

First of all, the reasons

To determine if your baby is getting enough sleep, look at his behavior during the day. Does he seem tired? Does he feel sleepy already in the first half of the day? A child of this age needs 10 or 11 hours of sleep per day. If your baby wakes up before this time has passed, think about it and check to see if there is anything that excites or scares him. Perhaps he is awakened by bright sunlight or noises on the street, hang dark curtains and close the windows tightly. If your baby wakes up due to a leaky diaper, try wearing two diapers at once at night or purchase special super-absorbent overnight diapers. One way or another, it is necessary to eliminate the causes or find compromises, and the problem will be solved by itself.

If your child wakes up early in the morning and you think he needs more rest, make sure he is able to go back to sleep. Babies who require the presence of their parents near their bed in the evening also need their parents in the morning. So, make sure that he falls asleep, if necessary, do the same procedures as before going to bed in the evening - a fairy tale, a kiss, swaying. These nightly “sleep rituals,” even in the morning, will help your body automatically switch off for rest. It’s as if a certain conditioned reflex is being developed to constantly repeating procedures.

What to do?

It may also happen that the child did not get enough sleep, but spent most of the night resting and still does not want to sleep. In this case, it is worth “treating” his insomnia, just as at night - in all available ways. He will soon realize that sleep in the morning is inevitable and will wake up later. It is very important that the child adheres to the daily routine. Going to bed and waking up should be at the same time every day. Don't let your child sleep during periods of the day when it is not planned (unless the child is sick). If, nevertheless, the child cannot fall asleep when he wakes up in the morning, remove or shorten the daytime nap or move his bedtime a little later. If your baby goes to bed around 7 or 7:30 p.m., it's not surprising that he starts to become active as early as 5:30 or 6 a.m. Therefore, the main thing is to correctly distribute the time needed for sleep. For example, two hours for a nap and the rest for the night. Count the amount of remaining time from the desired time for the child to wake up (within reasonable limits) and you will get the time when you should send the baby to bed in the evening.

Here's a great way to let your baby know when it's time to get up in the morning: turn on a night light with a timer for a certain time; when the light goes out, you can get up. If the light is still on, it means it’s still night and you need to sleep.

Good nights to you and only pleasant awakenings!