5 Reasons Why Your Toddler Wakes Up Crying Every Morning

As babies grow and reach the toddler stage, they may develop an unusual feeling of fear when they wake up in the absence of their parents. It gives them an insecure feeling, which explains why they cry after waking up and realizing their parents are not present.

Although it may look like it is taking forever, for most toddlers, the hysterical wake-ups are a phase in their developmental stage, and eventually, they will outgrow this behavior.

They overcome this insecure, anxious feeling as they grow old.

Sleeping discomfort is one of the common causes and could be the reason why your toddler wakes up crying every morning.

There are several reasons why they might feel uncomfortable. It can be because a toddler is not getting enough sleep or adequate continuous sleep, and it might make him not feel refreshed in the morning.

Other reasons might be they are feeling too warm or cold, wet, or unwell.

These reasons might make your toddler wake up crying because of discomfort or pain.

If you can find the reasons behind the discomfort, your toddler will sleep more during the night.

Though it is a common problem in adults, many toddlers also suffer from sleep inertia. It is a state where your toddler wakes up feeling groggy or half asleep.

Sleep inertia mostly occurs in toddlers that experience disturbance in their sleep. And, when they wake up, they get a feeling of wakefulness at the same time, feeling sleepiness. This feeling makes them feel disoriented and can make them cry because of the weird feeling it can give you.

If you think this may be the cause, it is worth confirming your suspicions with a medical professional.

It is a sleep disorder brought about by introducing certain conditions such as pacifiers in a toddler’s mouth to make them fall asleep.

When the toddler falls asleep under these conditions and then finds that they are not present as they wake up, they will cry out.

For instance, if you are used to holding or rubbing your toddler’s back while nursing him to sleep, and then wakes up in your absence, he will cry until you go to pick him up.

It occurs in old toddlers whose sleeping schedule remained the same even as they need less sleep with age.

Some parents keep the same sleeping schedule previously, even when the toddler needs less sleep time. For instance, sleep schedules set at age one may be too long to sleep at age three.

Toddlers love a routine. They might not know it, but they do!

A sleeping schedule is vital for a normal sleeping pattern (I know… when is anything normal when a toddler is involved!)

Sometimes, a slight shift in the schedule will reap the rewards if your toddler is unhappy when they wake up. Try pushing the bedtime back by 30 minutes.

If bedtime is 8 pm, push it to 7:30 pm, earlier by 30 minutes.

If that doesn’t work, try moving it the other way by 30 minutes. Play around with the timings to see which time suits your toddler (and you).

Waking up when it is quiet and dark can be very frightening for a toddler.

Why not ease your toddler awake by having some sound or visual comfort on a timer in their room. If they do not like a quiet, dark room, why not wake them up with a warming light or even some background noise through a radio?

There are some excellent light projector options (with music) that may help ease your toddler awake. What better way to wake up than to a relaxing sound or light show!

If you are one of the lucky ones, you might have a toddler who wakes up around the same time every day.

What I am going to suggest here needs to be undertaken with some caution, because it might lead to other habits that are hard to break!

Just before your toddler wakes up, sneak into their room and be there with them. That way, when they wake up, they see you are with them as a calming influence.

The danger is, this could become a new habit, so use it with caution!

Your toddler’s wake-up time may feel like a significant disruption to your mornings. If you don’t plan it well, any misstep can mess the whole day.

Plan the day factoring in that your toddler will wake up crying.

Waking up early to deal with your toddler’s crying behavior will allow you to concentrate on what they require without having rigid and fast-paced mornings.

I know it will be tough teaching your toddler some calming exercises, but by doing this, you are giving them some vital tools to cope with these emotions.

When your toddler wakes up crying, it could be for a number of different reasons. By teaching your toddler to DEAL with these emotions, you are giving them a huge head start!

Tell your toddler to take in a few big breaths. Hold them in for 3 seconds, then release them slowly. Now they have this tool, and they can use it whenever they feel upset! It’s a win-win.

And little wins like this make raising toddlers a little easier!

Yes – it can be totally normal for your toddler to wake up angry. Sometimes we are grouchy in the mornings, and this could be the reason why.

My son went through a phase of waking up angry every morning. It scared the hell out of me the first few times when I heard him getting angry in his bed at 6 am! I waited for him to calm down before asking him what the problem was. I never got a useful response, but at least it got him talking enough to calm down.

Having said that, if you are concerned at all, then you should seek advice from a pediatrician.