-
Hi Pav,
I’m glad my explanation of capping naps made sense.
In regards to the early morning wake ups, this is actually pretty common!
Often, I find this can happen if they’ve been woken up prematurely and are trying to drift back to sleep. Unfortunately, at this hour it’s hard for them to fall back to sleep, as their sleep pressure is much lower, and their circadian rhythm is naturally encouraging them to wake up.
If you feel like your little one is waking prematurely, it’s helpful to check if something in their environment might be causing those early wake-ups. For example, are they too hot or cold? Could the noise of someone getting up, birds chirping, or early morning traffic be waking them? Even a bit of sunlight peeking through the curtains can sometimes stir them awake.
Other times, it might simply be that they’ve reached their sleep needs for the night, and they’re in that light dozing phase before fully waking up.
What you’re doing is great—waiting until he’s fully awake before going in is ideal, as sometimes they just need a bit of space to fall back asleep. But if you notice he’s not quite settling after 20 minutes, it’s perfectly fine to go in and get him.
I hope that helps!
Emma