80: Sleep Science Today with Andrew Colsky - Episode 8080: Sleep Science Today with Andrew Colsky - Episode 80
UK Health Radio Podcast
Sleep expert Andrew Colsky talks with holistic sleep coach and lactation consultant Kim Hawley about normal newborn sleep, safer arrangements and common myths. The conversation shares practical tips for supporting both infant rest and parental wellbeing in those demanding early months.
43:02•31 Mar 2026
Baby Sleep, Parent Sanity and Gentle Nights with Kim Hawley
Episode Overview
- Newborn sleep is naturally chaotic; frequent waking and lack of rhythm in the early months are normal and not a sign of parental failure.
- Simple environmental cues like dark nights, light days, naps in daylight and dim evenings help anchor a baby’s circadian rhythm.
- Sleeping with a baby on a sofa, recliner or nursing chair is described as universally unsafe, whereas bed sharing can be made safer with clear guidelines.
- Babies generally cannot truly self-soothe; they rely on co‑regulation and repeated soothing from caregivers to move from high stress to calm.
- Protecting parents’ sleep through good sleep hygiene, quicker returns to sleep and sharing night duties can improve family wellbeing even when the baby still wakes.
“Babies cannot go from high stress to low stress without parental support. They’re just not there. Their brain isn’t mature enough.”
What drives someone to seek a life without alcohol? For many new parents, it’s the brutal mix of sleepless nights, stress and fragile mental health that makes them rethink every habit, including drinking. This conversation on *Sleep Science Today* with host Andrew Colsky and holistic sleep coach and lactation consultant Kim Hawley zeroes in on exactly that early parenting pressure cooker.
Kim explains how she looks at “the whole baby or child, the whole family, and all the areas that shape how we sleep”, instead of focusing on behaviour alone. If you’re up all night with a newborn and wondering if something’s wrong, you’ll hear her reassuring reminder that “the newborn period is hard no matter what” and that chaos in the first few months is normal, not a personal failure.
You’ll get practical, science-based tips for shaping a healthy circadian rhythm from day one: dark nights, light days, naps in the light, and that all-important red nightlight for bleary-eyed feeds. She tackles hot topics like bed sharing versus bassinets, why armchair dozing with a baby is “universally unsafe”, and how to make bed sharing safer if that’s what a family chooses. For exhausted parents trying to stay alcohol-free, there’s a lot here about protecting their own sleep too.
Kim talks about simple sleep hygiene, anxiety spirals at 2 a.m., and why it often matters more how fast you get back to sleep than how many times the baby wakes. Myths get a good reality check: from the pressure for babies to “sleep through the night” to the idea that they should magically self‑soothe.
Kim is clear that babies “cannot go from high stress to low stress without parental support”, which can be a relief if you’re feeling guilty for rocking or feeding to sleep. If you’re juggling recovery, parenting and chronic tiredness, this episode offers calm, non-judgemental guidance that might make those long nights feel a bit less lonely. What small change could you make tonight to help everyone in the family rest better?
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