If your young child wakes before 6am, check the time between their last nap and bedtime. If it's at the long end of what's normal for their age, move bedtime earlier. Overtiredness often causes early waking, and small timing shifts can help.
Welcome to Leaves Just go to sleep where I give you one practical way to make nights and naps easier. As always, this will be rooted in research, effective and emotionally connected. Today's tip is for those of you who have little ones who are consistently waking prior to 6am here's where we need to start. Examine how long your little one is awake between their last nap and bedtime. Often going to bed overly exhausted can cause them to wake earlier in the morning. I know it doesn't make sense. Like if they're completely exhausted, wouldn't they sleep later? That's not what we find. Sure we always want a full wake window before bed, but we don't want to push them beyond what they can handle. If you are within an age appropriate wake window and you're on the longer end of that range, pull it a bit earlier. Totally acceptable while you're struggling. Early morning wakings are hard. Sometimes that can be really helpful.
