Sleeping FAQ: 12-18 Months – Early Morning Waking

My 15-month-old son wakes early and wants to have a long lunchtime nap.

Help! My little boy is 15 months old and has been a contented little baby since he was born, following the routines more or less. He usually wakes at 6am (which my husband likes as he gets to see him before he leaves for work), has a lunchtime nap at 1pm for 2 or 2 and a half hours then goes to bed happily at 7pm. However, he has always had a tendency to early morning waking and the past couple of weeks have seen him waking up nearer to 5am and wanting to get up. We do try to leave him in his cot until 6am and he chatters for most of it but then cries by around 5.45am. The problem is that when he wakes up this early he cannot make it to his lunchtime nap whereas when he wakes at 6 or 6.30 then he’s happy to, although sometimes he’ll have a 10 minute morning nap in the car or buggy if we’re out. The other problem is, of course, that his mum is shattered!

I have to wake him after his lunchtime nap as he’d sleep all afternoon if we let him. In fact my husband let him have 3 hours yesterday and this morning he woke at 4.30am! I would love him to wake up later in the morning – 6.30 or 7am would be bliss!! Should I cut down his lunchtime sleep to one and a half hours or move his bedtime to later? On the odd occasion he has gone to bed later he doesn’t seem to wake up later, although if he goes to bed earlier he does wake earlier! He’s desperate for his milk at 6am (although he doesn’t always drink more than half a beaker) but is happy to wait for breakfast at 8 or 8.30am. I don’t know how much he weighs – around 2st I think but there’s no worries about his weight. Generally he’s a very very happy little boy who has just started walking and loves to run around but I don’t want to just assume he will grow out of it as I know plenty of four-year-olds who still wake around this time.

Any advice would be appreciated!

Definitely try to cut his lunchtime nap to 1.5 hrs. Try to keep him going to 1pm so he is not exhausted by 7pm. Toddlers who fall into a deep sleep at 7pm are more likely to wake early so try to have some quiet times during the afternoon, especially now that your son has begun to walk. Keep the time after his bath very low key as he could become overtired and be unable to calm down enough to go to bed and fall asleep after some time chatting to himself. Moving his bedtime later will probably not have the desired effect as he will he will just become overtired in the evening.

It is also worth looking at what he is eating. Now he’s on the move he will need more food so check he is getting enough to eat at lunchtime and teatime. Try increasing the amounts you offer him and see if he’s interested. Any increase that leads to a longer sleep at night could be the clue to his early waking and you can continue to give him more to eat. Combining this with reducing his lunchtime sleep should help him sleep longer at night and give you the rest you need too.