There’s a lot of reasons your baby might be waking up too early. They might have too much light coming through their window in the morning or be napping too much during the day. Even being too tired at bedtime can make your baby get less sleep. Unfortunately, this usually means you’re getting less sleep, too.
Fortunately, it can be easy to figure out how to get baby to sleep until 7am. Once you know why your baby is waking up too early, you can pick a few strategies to help them (and you) get more sleep.
Let’s take a look.
What Makes Babies Wake Up Too Early?
Babies wake up too early if they are getting too much or too little sleep. When your baby sleeps too much during the day, they won’t need as many hours at night. It’s also possible for your little one to become overtired. When your baby is overtired, they’re going to wake up fussy and it will be difficult to get them back to sleep.
What it comes down to is your baby’s sleep schedule. Your little one could be napping too late in the day, taking too many naps, or laying down too early at night. What you’ll need to do is adjust your baby’s sleep schedule so they sleep in a little later in the morning. You can also take steps to have better sleep hygiene, like following a bedtime routine and being sure your baby has a quiet, dark room to sleep in.
How Much Sleep Does My Baby Need?
Experts generally agree on how many hours your baby should get each night. The National Sleep Foundation states that babies around 4 months old should get 12-15 hours total, while AAP guidelines states that 12-16 hours are ideal. Generally, babies should be sleeping 10-12 hours at night and an additional 2-3 hours through naps during the day.
Getting enough sleep is important for more than just preventing fussiness during the day. It’s also critical for growth and brain development. Babies are still growing and go through a lot of changes in their first year of life. Sleeping enough ensures their body has the energy to do that.
What if My Baby Isn’t Getting Enough Sleep?
The easiest way to track your baby’s sleeping habits is by using a sleep journal. Record the time your baby falls asleep and when they wake up. You’ll also want to track nap times and how many times your baby wakes up at night. If you have a hard time getting your baby back to sleep, you’ll want to record that, too.
Add the amount of time your baby spends napping and how long they sleep at night to get the total hours they’re sleeping. If you’re worried their sleep patterns are negatively impacting their health, you can also speak with their pediatrician about your concerns. The sleep journal will help them figure out why your baby may not be getting enough sleep.
Something else to keep in mind is special needs children may have certain sleeping and eating times that need to be accounted for. Finding a schedule that works for your little one is important for ensuring they’ll get enough sleep. Your pediatrician may be able to offer suggestions or resources for parents of special needs children.
You should also contact your child’s pediatrician if their sleep schedule suddenly changes. Sudden changes in their sleep pattern could be the sign of an illness or ailment like an ear infection.
When Will My Baby Start Sleeping Through the Night?
All babies are different. Some will sleep through the night after they come home, but they are rare.
According to the Sleep Foundation, by age six months only 37.6% of babies sleep through the night. Even though you can encourage them to sleep longer by developing healthy sleeping habits, they still may wake up through the night as they get hungry. You should expect this, especially since young babies have small stomachs. Their stomachs cannot hold enough to keep them full all night long.
Additionally, babies often wet themselves through the night. You’ll want to be up to change them to avoid leaky diapers or skin irritation.
How Baby’s Sleep Schedule Works
The human body relies on its circadian rhythm to set a sleep schedule. When it gets close to a person’s normal bedtime, the body produces more of the hormone melatonin. Melatonin production helps you fall asleep easier. As levels diminish, the body produces more cortisol and it signals that it’s time to wake up.
When babies are born, their bodies have not yet regulated melatonin and cortisol production. In most cases, it takes at least the first three months of their life. This is the reason it seems your baby sleeps for about 4 hours, then wakes up for a while before taking a 15-minute nap. Their body isn’t producing enough melatonin to keep them asleep for a longer period.
By age six months, however, your baby is more likely to produce enough melatonin to sleep for longer periods. This is when you’ll find developing a sleep schedule is most effective for getting your baby to sleep later in the morning.
How to Get Baby to Sleep Until 7am
#1: Establish a Bedtime Routine
A bedtime routine is important for kids of all ages. When you consistently have the same routine before bed, your baby’s brain makes a connection between that routine and going to sleep. As you start the routine, the brain starts to understand that it’s time to relax because it will be bedtime soon.
Having a routine also improves your baby’s sleep hygiene. Sleep hygiene includes bedtime routines and habits, as well as having a healthy sleep environment. What matters most is finding a routine that works for your baby. For example, some parents like to give their little one a warm bath at bedtime while others prefer bathtime during the day. Some ideas of things you can include as part of your baby’s routine include:
- Infant massage
- Playing white noise or soothing music
- Sing a lullaby
- Read a story
- Have a bath
- Turn down the lights
- Rock him/her (but not until they fall asleep)
Keep in mind that the most important thing for a routine is consistency. Once you find a routine that works, you’ll want to do the same thing every night.
#2: Create a Healthy Sleeping Environment
As often as babies nap, it can seem like they’d be able to sleep anywhere. This isn’t necessarily the case. Part of having good sleep hygiene is having an environment that promotes sleep and relaxation. This means you should place your baby in a dimly lit room without distracting noises for sleep.
One thing I noticed as a parent was that my kids woke up earlier after I moved their bed. Where I had placed it, the early morning sun was shining in their window and signaling to their bodies that it was time to wake up. Having too many stimuli in your baby’s sleep environment is one reason they may wake too early or have a difficult time going to sleep. Blackout curtains can be a useful tool if there’s a lot of light coming in through the window. For sound stimuli, you can use white noise machine or play soft lullabies for your baby to block out sounds that make it harder to sleep.
Of course, you’ll also want to be sure that your baby is sleeping safely to prevent suffocation and reduce the risk of sleeping death from SIDS (sudden infant death syndrome). Keep the room at a cool temperature so your baby doesn’t get too hot while sleeping and always place him or her on their back to sleep. Avoid placing stuffed animals or blankets in the crib because they may cause suffocation. Additionally, consider offering a pacifier at bedtime. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, this reduces the risk of SIDS. It can also be a useful tool for helping your baby self-soothe.
#3: Let Your Baby Self-Soothe
Self-soothing is something that helps your baby put themselves back to sleep when they don’t need anything in the middle of the night. If they wake up dry and aren’t hungry, they should be able to drift back into sleep without fussing too much.
For self-soothing to be most effective, you don’t want to rock or feed your baby until they fall asleep. Instead, do their bedtime routine and get them sleepy. Once your child is close to sleep, you’ll lay them down in their crib. You shouldn’t pick them up as soon as they start to fuss. Instead, give them a few minutes to soothe themselves to sleep.
If your baby begins to cry for longer than a few minutes, pick them up and soothe them. Try to get your little one close to sleep again and then lay them down. If you have been rocking your baby to sleep, you might struggle at first, but eventually, they’ll learn to self-soothe.
#4: Get Baby Ready for Bed Before They’re Too Tired
If your baby is overtired, they have a harder time falling asleep. Being overtired causes crankiness. It also makes it harder for your baby to fall asleep and stay asleep, which makes them wake up earlier. Notice your baby’s sleep cues so you can put them to bed before their tiredness becomes an issue. Some signs that your baby is sleepy include fussing, rubbing his or her eyes, looking away from you, and yawning.
#5: Gradually Adjust Baby’s Sleep Schedule
If your little one is getting their recommended hours, something you can do is gradually move back their sleep schedule. For example, if your little one falls asleep at 8pm and wakes up at 6am, you can move their bedtime back an hour so they sleep an hour later in the morning.
You do not want to make this hour adjustment all at once. If you don’t give your baby time to adjust, they’ll end up cranky at bedtime and have more problems with sleep. Try pushing bedtime back by about 10 minutes every night. This is small enough that it won’t cause sleep disturbances and you’ll have bedtime pushed back by an hour within a week.
#6: Separate Sleeping from Eating
Feeding time is incredibly soothing for your little one. Whether you breastfeed or bottle-feed, it’s easy for your child to get cozy in your arms and doze off. Unfortunately, if your baby dozes off while feeding, they may not get full. This causes them to wake up sooner for another feeding.
The best way to separate sleeping and eating is to keep your baby awake while they feed. Strip them down to their diaper so they are cooler, especially since being too warm can make them fall asleep. You can also wipe your baby’s forehead, neck, and face and rub their hands, and feed. Frequent burpings and sitting your little one up and talking to them during feedings are some other ways to stop them from falling asleep.
#7: Regulate Nap Time
When it comes to nap time, every baby is different. Some will take the lead, so it’s easier for you to just go along with when your baby wants to nap.
One recommended schedule uses the ‘2, 3, 4’ method. This works for babies who sleep twice during the day. You lay your little one down about two hours after they wake up. Then, you increase the time to three hours of wake time until the second nap. This generally leaves about four hours before bedtime. This is only one recommendation- you should figure out what nap schedule works best for your little one to get them the sleep they need at night.
In addition to setting a schedule for nap time, you should consistently lay your baby down in their crib. Since they’re in a familiar setting, it’s more likely they’ll be able to fall asleep. You should also wake your baby if they are napping too long, especially if it seems they aren’t staying asleep long enough at night. For babies napping twice a day, you don’t want them to nap longer than 2-3 hours at once.
Finally, be sure your baby has enough stimulation in between sleep times that they are tired enough to fall asleep. Get them outside when possible and play with your baby after they wake up. You’ll want to reduce the amount of stimulation they are getting before nap time as well, so their mind has time to calm down and get sleepy.
#8: Check-in Before Midnight
For babies that seem to wake up early because they are hungry or wet, you can take care of their needs at an earlier time to help them sleep longer. Babies have a natural melatonin production cycle that affects their sleep. Levels are heavier up until midnight and then start to fade until they wake up. If you change your baby’s diaper or offer an extra feeding around 11, it’s more likely they’ll fall asleep and stay asleep until morning.
If you choose to do a feeding or change your baby, you’ll want to disturb them as little as possible. This will help your little one stay asleep instead of encouraging them to get up and be active.
Can I Feed My Baby Extra to Make them Sleep Longer?
Some parents may be led to believe feeding their baby more makes them sleep longer. However, feeding your baby too much can be detrimental to their health. A baby’s stomach is only so big. Since babies generally eat until they’re full, there’s no reason to force them to eat more. Overeating can cause upset stomach or make your baby spit up once they lay down.
You also should not feed your baby cereal to get them to sleep longer, especially when they are young. Even though baby cereal may be eaten as early as 4-6 months, putting that in their tummy before bed doesn’t give the food time to digest properly. This can cause digestive issues like upset stomach and constipation.
You also shouldn’t prop your baby up with a bottle in bed to get them asleep. Breastmilk and formula both have sugars in them that are unhealthy for the teeth and gums. Bedtime eating also creates bad habits that can be hard to break later on. Furthermore, leaving your baby unattended with a bottle, especially when they should be sleeping, is a choking hazard.
Something else to note is that you should not give your baby drugs (like melatonin) to help them sleep longer. Melatonin isn’t recommended for babies at this age. Additionally, it negatively impacts your child’s ability to produce their own melatonin and naturally regulate their sleep schedule.
Final Word
To be at their best, parents need sleep, too. Hopefully, these suggestions will help you as you figure out how to get baby to sleep until 7am.
In most cases, a combination of these strategies is going to be most effective. Be sure your baby has a sleep environment that promotes good sleep hygiene and develop a bedtime routine. You can also avoid disturbing your baby’s sleep schedule by being sure they aren’t overtired and that they aren’t napping too much. Finally, teach self-soothing so your little one can put themselves back to sleep more easily at night.
With these tips, your baby will be sleeping until 7am in no time.
