Why is my baby waking at 5am?

Five in the morning still feels like night

If your baby wakes ready for the day while you can barely open your eyes, it is reasonable to want to shift things later.

For us, the first things to check would be light, bedtime and the last nap. Oddly, a later bedtime can create an even earlier wake-up when a baby is overtired.

Keep early morning boring

A dark room, a quiet voice and no cheerful trip downstairs can help five o’clock stay part of the night. It usually takes more than one morning to see a change.

We would try one small change at a time, such as moving bedtime a little earlier or ending the last nap sooner. Changing everything together makes it hard to know what helped.

Sometimes you simply have a tiny rooster

If your baby wakes early, cheerful and rested, that may be their natural pattern for now. It can still be exhausting for you, but it does not automatically mean something is wrong.

If early waking comes with pain, feeding changes, breathing problems or unusual tiredness, ask your baby’s doctor or nurse.