When an Early Bedtime Doesn’t Work: What to Do If Your Toddler Still Wakes Up Too Early

You’ll never stop hearing me recommend an early bedtime.

For most kids under six, it’s absolutely the key to longer nights, better behavior, and less overtired chaos.

But every once in a while, a child surprises me.

Edgar was one such toddler.

His mom came to me exhausted, confused, and already doing everything “right.”

A 6:30 pm bedtime. Perfectly timed naps. A consistent bedtime routine. Independent self-soothing. All the things.

And yet he was still waking up at 4:50 am.

Every. Single. Day.

Most families I work with start off with a bedtime that’s too late.
It’s not unusual to hear “Oh, we aim for 8 pm and she's definitely in bed by 8:30.”

But Edgar’s mom was the opposite—she’d done her research and was sticking to the early bedtime I recommend: between 6:30 and 7:30 pm for most young children.

In theory, Edgar should have been thriving.

But in reality? He was waking up pre-dawn and staying tired all day.

So we pivoted.

After two months of his mom's textbook effort with little to show for it, we made a bold move.

We returned Edgar—16 months old—to two naps a day. Temporarily.

Not short, early naps either. He wasn’t tired enough for that.

Instead, we pushed nap one a little later, which pushed nap two a lot later. Which meant his bedtime landed around 8:30 pm. Very late by my standards.

But you know what happened?

He started waking up at 6 am.

Consistently.

And after a few days of that 6 am waking, he was able to make it to a single midday nap without getting overtired. Leading to a single, two-hour noontime nap and a happy, contented toddler.

His mom told me,

“He’s not just sleeping later. He's not waking up crying anymore.”

And that? That’s the real win.

Sometimes, the one percenters need a custom solution.

Sleep needs vary, and while most toddlers thrive on an early bedtime and a solid routine, some need a later nap, a longer wake window, or a rhythm that doesn't match the charts.

That doesn’t mean the foundations don’t matter.

It means we need to observe, adapt, and respond with flexibility until we land on the perfect solution for each individual child.

(And yes, because I offer a money-back guarantee, I stuck with Edgar’s mom well beyond the two-week package she originally signed up for. I was bound and determined to get it figured out—and we finally did!)

If your toddler is breaking all the rules—and you’re doing everything “right”—let’s talk.

Sometimes all it takes is a second pair of eyes and a willingness to think outside the box.
I’m here to help. And yes, if we don’t get the results, you get your money back. But more often than not?

We figure it out together.

Here’s the link to sign up for a free discovery call.