May 1, 2025

Bedtime Battles and Early Mornings: It's Not In Your Head!

The sun is out, the birds are chirping, and my inbox and DMs are flooded with questions about early wake-ups, bedtime battles, and toddlers acting like they’ve just discovered a second wind at 7 PM. 😅

If that’s you?
You are definitely not alone.

As we head into the months of longer days and more light exposure, many families start noticing changes to their child’s sleep — and it’s not just in your head!

Here’s the deal:
More natural evening light can delay melatonin production — the hormone that helps us wind down and fall asleep. Studies (Crowley et al., 2015; Gooley et al., 2011) show that even small amounts of evening light can push our body clock later, making it harder for kids (and adults!) to fall asleep at their usual time. The additional morning light also means early morning wakings. Your baby DOES NOT CARE that it is 5 AM when their room is full of light and they are full of beans!

So this time of year we often see:

Bedtime battles ("It’s still light outside!")
Longer time to fall asleep
More night wakings
Brutal early mornings (hello, 5 AM club 🥲)

What can help:

Start dimming lights 60–90 minutes before bed
Use blackout curtains to block out evening/ early morning 4:45AM light
Stick to your usual bedtime, even if it feels early
Get bright morning sunlight to help regulate their body clock

A quick reminder for my past clients:
Sometimes it isn’t just about the light.

If you’ve done the blackout curtains, the earlier bedtime, all the things... and you're still getting struggles,

👉 It might be time for a schedule tweak instead.

Kids’ sleep needs shift as they grow — and a small adjustment to naps or bedtime can make a huge difference.

(And yes, I can help with that too. Always.)

One more important thing:

Sometimes, kids just wake early.
Sometimes it's a phase.
Sometimes it's just who they are.
And sometimes... It's a little bit of both.

It's actually very normal for young children to wake earlier than we would like. It's not always something that can be "fixed." And sometimes, the kindest, most peaceful thing you can do — for your child and for yourself — is to accept their natural rhythms (even if you still quietly mourn your 7 AM sleep-ins ☕).

Want more tips on navigating the seasonal chaos?
🎧 Listen to some helpful episodes:

Or if you're ready to troubleshoot more personally, let’s chat about how we can get you feeling good again.

Wishing you all the sunshine (and a full night’s sleep),

Whether you’re at the beginning stages of sleep training with your baby or you just want to improve your mental health as a parent, the sleep consultants at Baby’s Best Sleep are here to help.