Do All Toddlers Wake at Dawn?

No, they don't, but there are some useful tips to help those who seem to wake as soon as the early morning sun tickles the horizon...

In the summer months, many parents complain that their toddler wakes up too early and a child that used to sleep until 8am is now up and raring to go at 6am. Toddlers need at least eleven hours sleep a night. If there are getting much less than this, something needs to be done.

There are two types of children that wake up too early.

1. Those who wake before they have enough sleep
2. Those who simply need less sleep and get up when their parents deem it too early!

To find out which your toddler is, take a look at their behaviour during the day:-

• Are they particularly sleep?
• Are they grumpy?
• Do they need a mid morning nap only a few hours after having woken up in the morning?

If your toddler is waking becaue there's something specific that might be causing them to wake, then try to remedy the situation:-

• If light steams through the window then put up blackout blinds or blackout curtains
• If something like opening the garage door is making them wake up, park the car on the road
• If their nappy is leaking or really wet, get more absorbant nappies or change them as late as you can in the evening before going to bed

If they are waking and are not able to go back to sleep, then try to establish a way for them to get back to sleep without you needing to be there. Give them a special toy or teddy, give them a muslin or favourite cushion or something that is comforting.

If your toddler is up and raring to go at 6am and has been in bed since 7.30 the night before, you must remember that they only need so much sleep and cannot be forced to sleep once they have had their quota: around eleven hours of sleep.

You could try putting them down a little later at night, although surprisingly putting them down earlier will, for some children, make them sleep in later in the mornings. This is because if they are going to bed too late, and are sleep deprived, it will result in a less restful sleep.

Good luck! Sweet dreams!