18/06/2026
As of today, the sun is officially rising at 4:52am (according to timeanddate.com)! This means that your little one’s room could be gradually getting lighter and lighter from 4:52am, encouraging them to wake earlier and earlier!
🌅 If my little one was up for the day at 5am, here’s exactly what I’d do:
1️⃣ Base naps off your ideal wake up time, not the time they actually wake.
If early starts mean your whole nap schedule (and therefore bedtime!) shifts earlier, you’re reinforcing the early wake.
2️⃣ Treat 5am like 1am.
If you respond differently at 5am, your little one learns it’s morning.
Exposing your little one to light and movement (ie. getting them up!) just tells their body clock the day has started, reinforcing the wake time for future mornings.
3️⃣ Hold off on that early feed.
A 5am milk feed can encourage your little one to wake for it out of habit.
Try having a no feed zone between 4am and your acceptable wake up time, so that your little one isn’t waking for a 5am breakfast out of habit.
4️⃣ Temporarily push bedtime later.
Shifting naps and bedtime later for a couple of weeks can help shift that early morning wake. Once things settle, you can gradually bring bedtime earlier again. Shifting a morning wake up time takes time, don’t expect change within a week.
Early wakes are tough. I know just how exhausting it is when the day starts with the sunrise at 4:52am!
If you’ve tried all of the above and your little one is still waking at 5am, there’s usually another more specific reason that it’s happening, and that’s exactly what I help families to understand.
✨ DM me ‘SLEEP’ to start a chat today and let’s figure out what’s really causing it, and exactly how to make change!✨
I can’t wait to help you get your lie in’s back 💜
Jo x