One of the most common sleep issues that we get asked about is early waking. No one enjoys starting their day at 4.30am! In fact, we class anything before 6am as actually being a night wake. Babies that wake early can be really hard to settle – their melatonin (the sleep hormone) levels drop in the early hours. This can work against you and can make it even harder to settle your little one.
Many parents make the mistake of putting their baby down later; assuming they will wake up later. Unfortunately it doesn’t work that way.. in fact, it can actually make the situation worse. Overtiredness is a key factor in early waking. If you keep them up later into the evening, they are just going to get deeper and deeper into that overtired cycle. Pick a 12 hour day - 7am-7pm for example and work with that. Make sure they nap well during the day and that the naps are well spaced. This will prevent that overtiredness rearing it’s ugly head during the night!
Your baby’s ‘sleep environment’ is also really important. Are they warm enough? Is it dark enough? Do you have consistent white noise? Make sure your baby is comfortable in their environment. For older babies you might also want to make sure your baby is familiar with their surroundings. You want them to feel comfortable in their bedroom, so playing with them in there at least once a day can have a really positive effect on their sleep.
There will always be situations which are out of your control.. traffic noise.. heatwave..tetthing. These things simply can't be helped so try not to worry!
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