4 year old wakes up at 5am

[LonArcvarden]

Hi my 4 year old wakes up at 5am everyday and is super tired and cranky all day long. I put him to sleep early by 630 so he has enough sleep but it’s never enough. He keeps waking up early. Please could someone advise.

[MichaelSavan]

Hi there! This is a tough one. I have found early morning wakings to be the toughest habit to kick in the kiddos I have helped. It may sound counterintuitive, but see if you can push that bedtime later. If he is waking up that early, he may need his bedtime to be adjusted to fit his circadian rhythm better. Try putting him to bed at 7, 7:30 and see what time he wakes up. He may need a few days to adjust.

[Oreganus]

I sorted out early wakeups by first checking how much sleep do kids need, which helped me see if my kid was actually overtired. When bedtime was too early, mornings got earlier too. Pushing bedtime later by 15 minutes every few nights, plus keeping the room dark and quiet, made a big difference. A toddler clock also helped my kid understand when it was okay to get up.