Early Morning Waking’s in Babies: Why they happen, and how to prevent them.

Early morning wakings’ are the Bain of EVERY parent’s existence. Your baby has been doing a good job of sleeping through the night, and then all of a sudden, they start waking anywhere between 3:00-5:00 am and they just will not go back to sleep. They are either babbling away to themselves, or they are crying for you to get them out to start their day. This leaves all those unlucky parents thinking “What the heck is going on?”

At first parents think it was just an off night and that it would correct itself the following night. But when it starts happening every night for a few nights this leaves parents wondering maybe it is something they have done wrong, or more importantly what can they do to fix this?

The good news is that it will not last a long period of time. These early morning wakings generally last only about a week or so then their normal sleep patterns will return. So why do these sporadic early morning wakings happen?

1. Developmental leaps-babies brains change so much in the first five years, specifically the first year. They learn how to smile, sit up, crawl, eat solids, walk, and talk. Not to mention the changes that are going on in the brain to make all this happen. This takes a lot of energy which is why babies generally need a lot of sleep. However, depending on where they are in their physical development, the amount of sleep varies. During a growth spurt you will notice they sleep more, but the times where there is a slow growth period, or they have just learned a new skill and they will want to practice these during the time they are supposed to be sleeping. This is when you will notice the early morning wakings happening more often.
   
   
2. Hunger-This is the more obvious reason babies wake is due to hunger. If your baby is not taking in enough calories during the day, they tend to wake more often at night to catch up on what they are not getting during the day.
   
   
3. Discomfort-Too hot or cold, reflux, gas, teething pain (which can start as early as two months), or dirty diaper.
   
   
4. Undertired/overtired-If your baby has had a lot of daytime sleep, or not enough daytime time sleep, this often rears its ugly head during the night or early mornings.
   
   
5. They just need some extra snuggles– There are times when babies need that extra love. If there have been any changes in routine, such as mom going back to work, and baby being left with a caregiver, or your family just moved to a new home, or parents separate, this can leave your baby looking for that extra love during those early morning hours.

Now that you know the possible causes of these early morning wakings, your next question is how can they be prevented? During the developmental leaps where they do learn a new skill (rolling over, or crawling, work with them during their awake times to master that skill so it does not affect their naps/night-time sleep. It still may be when they are first learning it, but the quicker they can master it, the less night/early morning wakings will happen.

Make sure that your baby is getting full feed during the day. If the baby is falling asleep feeding and they are not doing full feedings, do the feedings right when they wake from their naps. This way they are not sleepy and have the energy to do those full feeds.

Set the temperature in their room to 68-70 degrees F. This will avoid big temperature fluctuations that the weather can throw at you. If you notice your baby is gassy, uncomfortable from teething or reflux, give a probiotic 10 mins before feeding as this really helps them be able to burp, pass gas, and have bowel movements more easily. If your baby does suffer from reflux, and it is affecting their night sleep, see your health care professional about medication for them until they grow out of it. If it is teething pain, give Tylenol right before bed as a preventative measure.

Watch your baby’s naps during the day. Whether your baby is a great napper or not, both can cause early morning wakings. Too much sleep and too little sleep can present the exact same way. If your baby is getting too much sleep, I would cap their naps at two hours each, with the last nap being capped out at 1 hour. Make sure your baby is getting enough fresh air, and physical activity, i.e., tummy time, jolly jumper if they are the age for it. This can help build sleep pressure. If your baby is not napping enough, and/or relying on you to go to sleep, throw as many short naps in your day as you can, and give them an earlier bedtime. If your baby cannot fall asleep on their own, you may want to consider teaching your baby how to fall asleep independently.

If there has been a change that has happened recently i.e., mom going back to work, a move that has recently happened, loss of a loved one this can cause early morning wakings. Make sure that you spend more quality time with your baby during those awake hours, so they are not seeking this time in the early morning hours.

Last, make sure that you are putting your baby down at a decent hour. From the time your baby hits 8 weeks old a bedtime between 7:00-8:00 pm is recommended. Babies get the best quality of sleep before midnight. If you are not getting them down until 9:00 pm, or 10:00 pm at night, it could bleed into the early morning hours. The earlier the better. I know this is a lot of information to take in, and if you still have questions that this blog did not answer, please feel free to reach out by phone or email and we can find some time to connect. Have a great day!