Early morning wakings: why your baby wakes at 5am and how to fix it
Key Takeaways
- Any wake-up before 6am is considered too early — even if your baby seems alert and happy.
- The most common cause of early morning wakings is an overtired baby with a bedtime that's too late.
- Pushing the first nap earlier to compensate actually reinforces the early wake-up cycle.
- A bedtime 30 minutes earlier can often shift the morning wake-up later — not earlier.
There is a special kind of exhaustion that comes from hearing your baby at 5am, wide awake and ready for the day, while the rest of the world is still asleep. If this is your life right now, you are not alone — early morning wakings are one of the most stubborn sleep problems parents face.
The good news: they are also very fixable once you understand what is causing them.
What counts as "too early"?
Anything before 6am. A wake-up between 6am and 7am is biologically normal for babies and toddlers. Their circadian rhythm naturally favors early mornings.
If your baby is consistently waking before 6am, something is off — and it is almost always one of five things.
The 5 most common causes
1. Overtiredness
This is the number one cause, and it is counterintuitive. When a baby goes to bed too tired, their body produces cortisol (a stress hormone) to compensate. Cortisol levels peak in the early morning hours, making it nearly impossible for the baby to connect sleep cycles after 4-5am.
The fix: Move bedtime 30 minutes earlier. Yes, earlier. If your current bedtime is 7:30pm, try 7pm for a week. Many parents are shocked that an earlier bedtime produces a later morning wake-up.
2. Too much light
After 4am, your baby's sleep drive is at its weakest. Even a small amount of light — dawn creeping around the curtains, a hallway light, a nightlight that's too bright — can signal "morning" to their brain.
The fix: Invest in proper blackout solutions. The room should be dark enough that you cannot see your hand in front of your face. Tape down curtain edges if light leaks through the sides.
3. Undertiredness
If your baby is getting too much daytime sleep or the last wake window before bed is too short, they may simply have gotten enough sleep by 5am.
The fix: Cap total daytime nap hours. For a baby 6-12 months, aim for 2.5-3 hours of daytime sleep maximum. Push the last wake window before bed 15 minutes longer.
4. Hunger
For babies under 9 months who are still night feeding, genuine hunger can cause early morning waking — especially if they dropped a night feed recently.
The fix: Ensure adequate calories during the day. If your baby is 6+ months and eating solids, a protein-rich dinner and a full feed before bed can help. For younger babies, a dreamfeed around 10-11pm may bridge the gap.
5. Habitual waking
If your baby has been waking at 5am for weeks, their internal clock may have simply locked in that wake time. Their body now expects to be awake at 5am regardless of the original cause.
The fix: Treat 5am like the middle of the night. Do not turn on lights, do not start the day, do not get your baby up. Use your normal night response (brief check, resettle) until your desired wake time. It can take 7-10 days to reset a habitual wake.
How to figure out which cause applies
Ask yourself these questions:
- Is bedtime after 7:30pm? Likely overtiredness.
- Is the room truly dark at 5am? Check at 5am yourself — you may be surprised.
- Is total nap time over 3 hours? Could be undertiredness.
- Is baby under 9 months and hungry at the wake-up? Hunger is likely.
- Has this been happening for more than 2 weeks with no other changes? Habitual waking.
If more than one applies, start with overtiredness (earlier bedtime) and light. These two fixes alone resolve the majority of early morning waking cases.
The biggest mistake parents make
When a baby wakes at 5am, the instinct is to push the first nap earlier — putting them down at 8am instead of 9am. This feels logical but it backfires. An early nap essentially becomes an extension of night sleep, and the baby's body learns that 5am is an acceptable wake time because the "lost" sleep gets recovered in the morning nap.
Keep the first nap at its normal time, even if it means your baby is a bit cranky. This preserves sleep pressure and helps shift the wake-up later over time.
When to expect results
Most families see improvement within 5-7 days. Early morning wakings are slow to shift because you are resetting your baby's circadian rhythm, not just changing a habit. Stay consistent and do not change your approach after just 2-3 days.
Getting personalized help
Every baby's schedule is different, and the cause of early wakings is not always obvious. DodoCare tracks your baby's sleep patterns daily and identifies exactly which factor is driving the early wake-ups — then adjusts the plan accordingly. The first 3 days are free.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does my baby wake up at 5am every morning?
The most common cause is overtiredness from a bedtime that's too late, or too much light in the room at dawn. Other causes include hunger, habitual waking, or being undertired from too much daytime sleep.
Will an earlier bedtime make my baby wake even earlier?
No — this is one of the biggest myths in baby sleep. An overtired baby sleeps worse. Moving bedtime earlier by 30 minutes often helps the baby sleep longer in the morning because they enter the night less overtired.
How long does it take to fix early morning wakings?
Most families see improvement within 5-7 days of consistent changes. The key is identifying the correct cause first, then applying the right fix consistently without changing strategy mid-course.