A child who wakes at five o'clock usually does so for one of four reasons: they go to bed too late and are overtired, they go to bed too early and are done sleeping, the room gets light or noisy, or they have learned that the morning starts when they call out. Find the cause first. Before six it is a problem worth working on, after six it is often just your child's body clock.
Ten past five on a Wednesday in May in Årsta. It has been light outside for an hour and a two-year-old is standing in his cot calling mummy, mummy, mummy. It is the fifth morning in a row. Mum goes in, takes him to the sofa and puts a film on, because she cannot manage anything else. That solves this morning, and makes tomorrow's earlier. This is what it looks like in many of the families we visit in May and June, and it can be turned around.
What counts as early?
What matters is not the time on the clock but whether your child has had enough sleep. A three-year-old who falls asleep at seven and wakes at six has slept eleven hours, and that is within the range. The same child falling asleep at half past eight and waking at five has slept eight and a half hours, and that is too little. Compare with our Sleep schedule for children by age before you decide it is a problem. A child who wakes at six, is cheerful and copes with the day does not need fixing. You may need to go to bed earlier.
Four causes, and how to tell which one it is
| Cause | Signs | What helps |
|---|---|---|
| Overtired: bedtime too late or too little daytime sleep | Your child is whiny in the afternoon, falls asleep quickly but wakes early and tired, cannot get back to sleep | An earlier bedtime, half an hour at a time. Review daytime naps |
| Fully rested: bedtime too early or too much daytime sleep | Your child wakes bright and cheerful after ten or eleven hours, lasts the whole day | A later bedtime in small steps, or a shorter nap. Or accept it |
| The room: light, noise, cold, heat | Early only in summer, or when the neighbour leaves for work, or when the radiator switches off | Blackout blind, white noise, the right temperature |
| Habit: the morning starts when your child calls out | Your child wakes at the same time whatever bedtime you set, and gets something fun straight away: a film, breakfast, play | A boring morning until a set time, a toddler clock from age three |
Overtiredness: the paradox
It sounds backwards, but the most common reason children wake early is that they are getting too little sleep. A child who went to bed too late or missed their nap has stress hormones in the body that make sleep lighter towards morning, and wakes at five, tired and impossible to get back to sleep. Parents who respond by putting the child to bed later make it worse. Try half an hour earlier bedtime for a week instead. It is the one thing that costs nothing and that we have seen work time and again.
Daytime naps in the wrong place
In children under three, daytime sleep governs the whole 24 hours. A nap that is too long, too late or that disappeared too early shows up in the morning. A two-year-old who sleeps two hours at förskola (municipal preschool, from age one) after lunch can struggle to fall asleep before half past eight, and still wakes at six. Talk to the förskola about waking after an hour and a half. A child who has dropped the daytime nap too early becomes overtired instead and wakes early for that reason. Our guide on When do children stop napping? Signs, age and how to make the transition helps you see where your child is.
The room: light, noise and temperature
- Light is the biggest culprit in Stockholm from April to August. It is light by four, and children's sleep is shallow towards morning. A proper blackout blind, ideally with velcro around the window, does more than anything else in May
- Noise: the neighbour in the stairwell, the bin lorry, a parent in the shower. White noise, a fan or an app playing a steady sound all night covers most of it
- Temperature: children wake from cold in the small hours when the body is at its coldest. A sleeping bag or an extra layer at three in the morning can be enough. The right bedroom temperature is cool, around 18 degrees
- The nappy: a soaked nappy wakes a child. A night nappy in a bigger size or an extra booster pad
- Hunger: children over one should not need to eat at five o'clock, but a child who ate poorly at dinner can wake hungry. A proper evening meal helps
The toddler clock: from about three
A lamp that glows red at night and green when it is time to get up, or a clock with a moon and a sun, gives your child something to understand. Before two and a half it rarely works. After three it works for many children, but only if you are rock solid: before green you stay in bed, and you do not go in to play. Set it first to the time your child already wakes, and move it forward ten minutes every third day. Setting it to seven on the first day when your child wakes at five just gives you an hour and fifty minutes of fighting.
What to do at 05:10
- Wait a few minutes and listen. Grizzling is not awake. Many children go back to sleep if nobody comes.
- Go in in the dark. Do not turn the light on. Lay your child down, say it is night-time, and put a hand on their back. The same sentence every time: it is night, we are sleeping.
- Stay briefly or sit with them, depending on what you do in the evening. Your child should not get anything that is better than sleeping: no film, no breakfast, no playing in your bed.
- Hold out until the set time. Six, or half past, or whatever you have chosen. Then you turn the light on, say good morning and the day begins. The difference between night and morning should be clear.
- The same thing every day for at least two weeks. The first three days get worse. Then it usually turns.
Patience: two weeks
Everything to do with children's sleep takes about two weeks to change, and the first week looks as if it has got worse. That is when most parents give up and put a film on, and then the child has learned that holding out for five days pays off. Decide on a plan, write down when your child wakes every day, and evaluate after fourteen days, not three. If it is still five every morning after a month with the right bedtime, a dark room and a boring morning, you have a morning child. Then you take it in turns, and go to bed earlier.
How we do it with our families
Doaa looks after a two-year-old in Kista who started waking at five in May. The parents were exhausted. She saw straight away that his room had a thin curtain and that he slept two and a half hours at förskola. She suggested a blackout blind, spoke to the parents who spoke to the förskola about waking him after an hour and a half, and on her afternoons she made sure he was outside and active, with no pushchair nap after three. She wrote his wake-up time on the note every day. After twelve days it was quarter past six. The parents still think that is early, but it is liveable.
This text is general information and does not replace advice from BVC (the child health clinic every family is enrolled in), your vårdcentral (local health centre) or 1177 (the national healthcare helpline). If you are worried about your child, call 1177. In an emergency, call 112.
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Read more: Sleep schedule for children by age · Morning routine with children · When do children stop napping? Signs, age and how to make the transition · FAQ
Frequently asked questions
What counts as waking too early?
Before six o'clock, in a child who has slept less than they need and is tired during the day. A child who wakes at quarter past six, is bright and has slept eleven hours is not waking too early. That is a morning child, and it usually cannot be changed, only planned around.
Does it help to put my child to bed later?
Usually not. An overtired child sleeps worse and wakes earlier, not later. Try half an hour earlier bedtime for a week first. If your child wakes just as early but is brighter, the bedtime is right and your child simply needs less sleep. If they wake later, they were overtired.
When does a toddler clock work?
From about two and a half to three, when the child understands that a colour means something. A lamp that glows green when it is time, or a clock with a sun and a moon, gives the child something concrete to wait for. It only works if you are consistent: not up before green, ever.
Should we go in straight away when our child calls?
Wait a little while and listen. Many children grizzle for a few minutes and go back to sleep, especially if the room is dark. If your child is properly awake, go in, but make it boring: dim light, low voice, no playing. The morning starts when you turn the light on, not when your child calls.