Early morning starts! The dreaded 5am wakes..

Is your Babe up and ready to party at 4 or 5 in the morning?

Deep breath — don’t start your day just yet. I know it’s tempting to flick on the kettle, scroll your phone, and accept that the day has begun. But let’s break this down, because those early starts can be shifted.

First, let’s talk about why early wakes happen.

There are a few common culprits when it comes to early morning wakes:

• Low or high sleep pressure at bedtime – This means your Babe is either overtired or undertired when going to bed, and both can lead to early rising.

• Waking cold – The early hours are the coldest part of the night. If your Babe is not warm enough, they’ll struggle to stay asleep.

• Genuine hunger – Particularly for younger Bubs or during a growth spurt, they might actually be hungry at that time.

These root causes definitely need to be looked at — but just as important is how you respond.

Are you unintentionally reinforcing the early wake?

When we treat a 4:30AM wake like the start of the day — lights on, breakfast, cuddles, Bluey on the TV — we’re unintentionally sending our Bubs body clock the message: “Yep, this is wake-up time.”

Exposure to light, food, and social interaction triggers the brain to say, “The day has begun!”
And guess what? Babe’s brain will remember that tomorrow… and the next day.

What to do instead:

Treat early morning wakes like a night waking. Here’s how:

• Keep the room dark. Don’t open blinds, avoid screens — keep everything dim or pitch black.

• Keep your interaction calm and low-key. Gentle pats, soft shushing — no eye contact party!

• Hold off on feeding unless you’re sure it’s hunger. If your Babe is used to feeding at this time, slowly push it out in small increments.

• Don’t begin your morning routine until your desired wake time. For most families, that’s between 6:00–7:00AM.

Even if they are awake and babbling away in the cot or in your arms — that’s okay. You don’t need to do anything right away. The goal is simply to communicate: “It’s still nighttime.”

The Bottom Line?

Early wakes are incredibly common — but they’re not forever. How you respond is key. Consistency and patience will slowly teach your Bubss body when the day actually starts.