chronotype - Millpond

If your baby or child is waking at 4.30 or 5 am every morning, you’re not alone! By 9.00 am, it can already feel like lunchtime because you’ve been up for so long.

Early rising can be utterly exhausting. Long before the rest of the world is awake, you may already have navigated breakfast, early television negotiations, and the familiar feeling of starting the day running on empty.

I understand this personally. Years ago, before I became involved in sleep professionally, my own son was an early riser, and it lasted for three years. At the time, it felt relentless, and like many parents, I questioned whether I was doing something wrong.

Early morning waking is one of the most common sleep concerns parents ask about, particularly in babies, toddlers, and preschool children. But it’s also one of the most misunderstood.

Early rising is rarely caused by just one thing.
It is usually linked to a child’s natural body clock, their total sleep across 24 hours, hunger, or how they fall asleep in the first place.

The first step to helping solve early rising is identifying the cause.

What I didn’t realise then (and what I now see every day in my work) is that early rising is often a clue that we can use to identify the cause.

Your child’s sleep timing, biology, and total sleep needs all play a role. Before trying to “fix” early mornings, the first and most important step is identifying the underlying cause.

Your Child May Have an Early Chronotype (A Natural “Lark”)

Some children are naturally early risers. This is known as an early chronotype, often described as being a “lark”.

Chronotype:

Is genetically influenced
Determines when the body naturally feels sleepy and alert
Can be present from infancy, becoming clearer over time

Children with an early chronotype often:

Wake very early regardless of bedtime
Putting them to bed later does not shift their morning wake time; they just become even more sleep deprived.
Are alert and ready to start the day at dawn

In these cases, early rising reflects an early sleep phase, not sleep problems. The goal becomes protecting total sleep and ensuring bedtime works with your child’s body clock, rather than fighting against it.

Too Much Daytime Sleep for Your Child’s Individual Needs

Children can only sleep so many hours in 24 hours, and this amount varies between children. Research shows that sleep needs vary between individuals, with genetics playing a significant role in how much sleep a child requires across 24 hours (Sleep Foundation).

Some children:

Fall at the lower end of normal sleep needs
Are genetically wired to need slightly less sleep overall

If your child is getting more daytime sleep than they now need, that sleep is often “taken” from the early morning.

This is common when:

A nap has recently lengthened
A third or second nap is no longer needed
Your child no longer needs to nap in the day
Sleep needs are reducing with age

Signs this may be the cause:

Early waking begins after nap changes
Your child wakes early but seems happy
Night sleep shortens, while naps stay long

Early Morning Hunger

For babies and some young children, early waking can be driven by genuine hunger, particularly in the early morning hours when sleep pressure is lighter.

This may be more likely if:

Your baby has had a recent growth spurt
Daytime milk or food intake has changed
Feeding helps your baby go back to sleep

It’s also important to gently explore whether the waking is hunger-led or habit-led, as repeated early feeds can sometimes reinforce early rising.

Sleep Onset Associations

If your child relies on certain conditions to fall asleep, such as feeding, rocking, holding, or a parent’s presence, they may need the same support when they naturally wake in the early morning.

Early morning sleep:

Is lighter
Is more fragmented
Is harder to resettle independently

This can mean a child wakes early and cannot return to sleep without help, even though they are still tired.

The most effective way to improve early mornings is to:

Understand your child’s biology and sleep needs
Look at their sleep timing across the whole day
Identify what’s driving the early waking
Make gentle, targeted changes

Early Rising Is a Clue, Not a Behaviour Problem

At Millpond Children’s Sleep Clinic, we don’t use one-size-fits-all solutions. Early morning waking is a signal, and every child’s sleep needs are different.

By taking time to understand your child’s individual sleep patterns, genetics, and development, we can help you move towards calmer mornings and better sleep for the whole family.

If early rising is leaving you exhausted, personalised support can make all the difference.

Frequently Asked Questions About Early Rising

Why does my child wake at 5 am every morning?

Common causes include an early chronotype, too much daytime sleep, early morning hunger, or sleep associations that make resettling difficult.

Is early rising normal in toddlers?

Yes, early morning waking is common in toddlers, especially during nap transitions or when sleep needs reduce.

Should I put my child to bed later if they wake early?

Not always. For many children, later bedtimes can actually lead to earlier waking due to overtiredness.

Can early rising be genetic?

Yes. Chronotype and sleep needs are strongly influenced by genetics, meaning some children naturally wake earlier than others.

Early rising in children can feel relentless, but once you understand why your child is waking early, it becomes much easier to support better sleep across the whole family.

What is your child’s chronotype?

Chronotype describes the time of day when you feel most alert or energetic – whether you are a morning lark or a night owl or somewhere between the two, often referred to a “third bird”. If you prefer to go to bed early and wake early, you are a ‘morning type’ or ‘lark’. Or if a later bedtime and wake up time suits you better, you are an ‘evening type’, or ‘owl’.
Your chronotype is inherited from your parents, genetically determined in the same way as your eye colour and your natural sleep rhythm is passed on to you through the PER3 gene.
Larks make up roughly 40 per cent and owls 30 per cent of the population with the remainder coming somewhere in between.

Why do I need to know my child’s chronotype?

Knowing your chronotype will help you sleep better, and plan your day knowing when you perform at your best.
Larks tend to function well in the mornings, when owls are slowly coming round. Whereas owls come into their own come late in the day and evening times, when larks are ready to put their feet up.
As well as knowing how much sleep your child needs, identifying their chronotype means you will be able to establish a sleep pattern for them in line with their natural body clock. Work out which chronotype best describes you and your partner and use this as a basis for your child’s bedtime and waking time. By working with your child’s natural body clock they are more likely to fall asleep faster, have more and better-quality sleep and wake less at night.

Larks

A lark child is likely to need an earlier bedtime. Putting your lark to bed later usually means they will have less sleep that night, as they are still likely to wake at their typically early morning time.

Owls

An owl child is likely to have a slightly later bed and wake-up times than their lark-like friend. It is particularly important for owls to have a regular set bedtime and, just as importantly, a fixed wake up time. If owls are put to bed late, they are more likely to wake later too. If this pattern is repeated, for example over school holidays, their body clock will shift into a later phase. Limiting light exposure in the evening and having a good dose of light in the morning will help keep an owl child’s body clock on track.

Why Is My Child Waking So Early?