Rise and shine! Your toddler used to be a champion sleeper, staying in bed until at least 7 a.m. every morning like clockwork. But now suddenly she’s up before the sun rises, throwing the whole house out of whack and making for a very grumpy little one during the day. What gives?

A toddler getting up too early is a common occurrence, but it’s not one you have to simply accept and live with. While babies and older tots are naturally early risers, if their wake-up begins to creep back into the wee hours, it’s time to act.

Read on for more about why your toddler is waking up too early and how to help her sleep a little later.

How do you know if your toddler is waking up too early?

You’ll know your toddler is waking up too early if she typically rises for the day between 6:30 and 7:30 a.m. but now starts to call for you around 5 or 5:30 a.m. (or earlier!).

As a refresher, toddlers ages 1 to 3 years old should get 11 to 14 hours of daily sleep including naps and nighttime. Rising too early can shortchange that recommended sleep range.

A toddler who wakes up too soon could be going to bed too early and getting more shut-eye than she actually needs. The opposite is also possible: Sometimes early-bird toddlers go to bed too late, get too little sleep and end up overtired or sleep-deprived.

Your child’s tuck-in time and nap schedule could also be off balance, which can lead to a toddler waking up too early in the morning.

Why is your toddler waking up too early?

There may be many reasons your toddler is waking up too early, including the following:

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Toddler Safe Sleep Practices

How to Stop Co-Sleeping and Move Your Little One to Her Own Crib or Bed

Is Your Toddler Afraid of the Dark?

Toddler Safe Sleep Practices

How to Stop Co-Sleeping and Move Your Little One to Her Own Crib or Bed

Is Your Toddler Afraid of the Dark?

It’s in her nature. Yes, it’s true: You could have a kid who loves the morning and is raring to go when the sun comes up. But don’t worry — when she’s a teen, she’ll likely rise at noon!
She misses you. A fear of missing out on any fun that could be taking place as well as a case of separation anxiety are two other factors that could explain the early wake-ups.
Her diaper is wet. Potty training is a long process, and staying dry at night can take a lot longer. Plus, who wants to lie in bed with a wet Pull-Up or soggy diaper?
She’s going through a sleep regression. Just like an infant sleep regression, toddler sleep regressions can interrupt shut-eye, causing your tot to get up with the birds.
She’s teething. The pain from erupting incisors, canines and her upper and lower molars can also contribute to a too-early wake-up time.
She has a new baby sibling. Major life changes like the birth of a sibling, a move to a new house or the start of day care or preschool can cause a tot to jump out of bed way too early.
She’d rather run. Or skip down the hall or scale that oversized couch. A toddler’s gross motor skills, along with better speech, could tempt her to rise early so that she can practice.
The room is bright. Sun streaming in the window may prompt your tot to leap out of bed too early.
She hears noise. Clanging dishes or a beeping garbage truck can also interrupt Zzzs.
Her naps are off. Daytime snoozes that are too long or too early (or late) in the day can throw off the nighttime schedule and result in a tot waking up far too soon in the morning.
Her schedule needs tweaking. Whether she’s dropping a nap or has gotten into the habit of staying up a little later with an older sibling, sometimes a toddler’s sleep schedule or bedtime routine falls apart. The result? A tot who’s up at dawn.
She’s overtired. As crazy as it may sound, missed naps or staying up too late can also mess with your toddler’s wake time. Sleep begets good sleep, as the saying goes, and too little shut-eye can lead to less-than-restorative nighttime sleep and rising early.
It’s a habit. If you let her get out of bed at 4 a.m. repeatedly (and then climb between your sheets to snuggle with you), she’ll continue to do it.

Tips for getting your toddler to sleep later

While you can't completely adjust your child's sleep schedule to match your own, nor can you send that wailing baby brother back, you can try these tips to get your toddler to sleep later in the morning:

Adjust her bedtime. If she's going to bed at 7 p.m., keep her up 10 minutes later each night until she's drifting off at 7:30 p.m. or 8 p.m. — but not much later than that. Beyond a certain point, she'll just get overtired and won't sleep well or longer in the morning.
Stay calm, but send her back. Just as you would when your tot gets out of bed in the middle of the night, simply walk her back to her room if she gets up too early. Make it short and sweet, without turning on the lights, pleading with her or discussing the need to stay in bed.
Keep her active during the day. Ensuring that your toddler gets enough daytime fresh air and exercise will tire her out at night and benefit her growth and development.
Cut back on liquids. If she’s been greeting the day with a sopping diaper, limit fluids at bedtime.
Fight the light and noise. Room-darkening drapes, shades or blinds can make the night last a bit longer, and a white noise machine or fan can cover up those household sounds.
Don't rush in. If you hear her stirring, wait 10 or 15 minutes. The reason? She might doze off or at least amuse herself for a while. (You might keep a couple of safe toys in her crib to help).
Delay breakfast. Rather than feed her as soon as she gets up, postpone the Cheerios by 10 minutes each morning until you’ve arrived at a more reasonable breakfast time, instead of super bright and early.
Change nap times. If she's waking up at 5 a.m. and snoozing again by 8 a.m., her morning nap may be too early. Adjust her sleep cycle by putting her down 10 minutes later every day until she's ultimately napping at 10 or 10:30 a.m.
Shorten the nap. Naps are an important part of your toddler’s sleep schedule, but they can also contribute to waking too early. If your tot is up too soon or is having trouble drifting off at night, experiment with a shorter daytime snooze of about an hour.
Try an alarm clock. The market is flooded with cute kids’ clocks, so consider a product like this to entice your tot to stay put. Some alarms glow green or play music when it’s time to rise.
Check with the doctor. If you’ve tried everything you can think of, it might be a good idea to ask the pediatrician about your child’s early waking. A sleep specialist or an ear, nose and throat doctor could discover an underlying health condition, such as sleep apnea or snoring, that’s inhibiting your child’s nighttime rest.