About Sleepy Starts

Hi, I’m Katie!

As a certified Baby-Led Sleep & Wellbeing specialist, I am passionate about helping parents reconnect with their instincts to establish sleep rhythms that suit their unique needs. My approach emphasizes attachment parenting, bedsharing, and breastfeeding, ensuring a gentle and nurturing environment without sleep training.

Working with me means partnering with a dedicated professional who can identify overlooked issues and guide you toward solutions that promote healing for both you and your baby, strengthening your bond and fostering a peaceful sleep environment. Let's join on this journey together to create restful nights and connection for your family.

My Why

In 2023, my baby girl arrived in a quick, surprise home birth. My husband and I had focused so much on preparing for the birth that we hadn't thought much about what came after. Can you relate? The entire birth took just 20 minutes, and suddenly, we were left to navigate life with a newborn, relying only on bits and pieces of advice we'd heard.

We knew "sleep training" didn't feel right to us, but we weren't sure why. We spent endless hours Googling wake windows, nap times, and how to get a baby to sleep in a bassinet when she simply wouldn't. After numerous appointments with various professionals, we discovered our baby had oral tie issues and extreme body tension from the fast birth. However, we soon realized that sleep is about much more than quick fixes. It's a relationship.

It took us a long time to create positive sleep associations after trying all the "gentle" separation techniques recommended online. Now, I aim to educate attachment-focused parents on fostering a healthy relationship with their child while finding sleep rhythms that work for them. I also strive to provide a supportive community for bedsharing parents, offering evidence-based guidance. I'll help you sort through the noise and learn to trust your instincts.

As Certified Sleep and Well-Being Specialists, Who Are We?

Written by Sarah Hemstock of Instinctual Sleep for the Certified Baby-Led Sleep and Well-Being Specialist Certification Program.

Let’s start by clearing up a few things and sharing with you what we are not. As Baby-Led Sleep & Well-Being Specialists we are NOT sleep consultants. We are NOT sleep coaches and we are NOT sleep trainers.

We are a safe place when you need someone to talk to about how exhausting and defeating parenting can be. We are the guide to help you see your child for who they really are, and are here to help you feel empowered to follow your instincts.

We’re here to help you understand that you don’t need to be searching for all the parenting answers because we will guide you in discovering that YOU are the answer for your child.

We want to assist you in synchronizing with your baby so you can recognize what is working for you and your baby and what is not, and want you to be able to recognize these things instinctually, while always placing attachment and connection at the highest importance.

What Do We Promise to You?

  • I promise to NEVER use separation based techniques

    Instead, I will encourage closeness and connection. I value the relationship you have with your child above all else.

  • I promise to NEVER use any kind of sleep training in our time of support, ever

    Instead, I will guide you in learning how to empower your child to get more sleep without sleep training.

  • I promise to NEVER ask you to leave your child to cry in isolation

    Instead, I will support you to make space for your child’s emotions so you can grow together.

  • I promise to NEVER give you a generic schedule or pre-created plan

    Instead, I will get to know your unique family, tune into changes as they happen, and guide all of us in adjustments as needed.

  • I promise to NEVER support you using a one-size-fits-all approach

    Instead, I will support you in a way that makes you feel confident and empowered in who you are as a parent to your unique and precious child.

  • I promise to NEVER force you into making changes you don’t feel comfortable making

    Instead, I will guide you in keeping the things you love and changing the things you don’t. We will collaborate to make a custom and individualized plan that feels good in your heart.

  • I promise to NEVER address sleep simply as a behavior

    Instead, I promise to work with you to get to the root of the concern and work together to address what is interrupting your child’s sleep.

  • I promise to NEVER judge you in choices you have made

    Instead, I will support you believing that as parents, when we know better, we do better.

  • I promise to NEVER silence you, your concerns, or your opinions, as you are the most important person in your child’s life

    Instead, I will help you navigate the journey of getting back to following your instincts and believing that you are your child’s best bet.

  • I promise to NEVER make you feel alone as you navigate through changes

    Instead, I will be a part of your village.

  • I promise to NEVER be close-minded about what could be affecting your child’s sleep

    Instead, I will take a holistic and comprehensive approach while investigating every aspect that could be causing concern.

  • I promise to NEVER apply a standard approach to addressing the sleep concerns you have

    Instead, I will get to know your child and your family’s individual needs. I will get to know your entire family, and support the family dynamic as we work through changes.

  • I promise to NEVER push you to a place you don’t feel confident and supported

    Instead, I will help you discover how to set limits before you hit your own limit.

  • I promise to NEVER push you to a place you, or your child, feel uncomfortable

    Instead, I will guide in you recognizing that sleep is a vulnerable place and that we can help your child sleep when we have met all their needs, including needs of proximity and connection.

  • I promise to NEVER put your needs at a lesser importance

    Instead, I will work alongside you to find ways to make self-care both possible, but also essential in your life.

Most importantly, we are here to empower you to follow your instincts to get more sleep without resorting to separation based techniques. We are here to empower you to believe from the depths of your heart that YOU are the BEST answer for your child.

We are here to collaborate with you to find a solution that works for you and your family as a whole, and we want to empower you to help your children fall asleep from a place of love and connection.

Certifications

Recommended Readings

Ready to get started?

  • "Katie is amazing so full of knowledge and truly listens. She helped us feel seen and supported in a space that’s so full of judgement from the world, she was a calming and peaceful presence! I wish I found her earlier in our journey! Every mom should reach out to her she has so many tips and tricks that helped out baby get more restful sleep while not compromising our goals and dreams around sleep. I would 100% recommend her! Truly the best!"

    - Brittany

  • "We did a sleep consult with Katie for our 15 month old. We were struggling with knowing what about her sleep habits was "normal" and what could be indicative of underlying issues (especially related to gut health / dairy intolerance / general discomfort). Katie was very knowledgeable and quelled many of our fears while also giving us practical (actionable!) things to try in the coming weeks and months. We absolutely loved working with Katie!!!"

    - Laura

  • "It was such a joy to work with Sleepy Starts when my nine month old was having difficult sleep patterns and battling tension. Katie is a wealth of knowledge and helped me figure out not only how to make sleep easier for our personal household and routines but the underlying root causes of the issues and why sleep was difficult in the first place. Katie looks at and addresses the whole picture when it comes to sleep. I recommend Katie to literally every single person I know with a baby. She is genuinely one of the smartest people l've ever met. She's also certified in several areas that I'm sure will help you and your little one, even outside of sleep!!"

    - Liv