I had the pleasure of using Beewise back when Meg (locals probably know Meg and her family as the faces behind The Buzz Meadery in Berlin, MD) owned it. When I started this series I knew I wanted to include Sleep Consultants because sleep is always a big subject when you have kids!
Since Katie isn't actually local to Delmarva (is that allowed on this series??) we went live on Instagram, if you prefer to watch that click HERE. (as usual I had some technical difficulties so you'll have to excuse that!)
Me: Thank you so much for taking the time to do this, how are you?!
Katie: I'm good! I'm super excited, thank you for having me! How are you?
Me: I'm doing good... my house is a mess so I was like I'm just going to sit on my porch! Even though it's hot, so we will see! I don't want to take up too much of your time so we can go ahead and jump in! Hopefully, everyone that is joining us knows that you are a sleep consultant, would you mind telling us a little bit about yourself and then what it means to be a Beewise sleep consultant?
Katie: I'm Katie, lead sleep consultant with Beewise. I've been a sleep consultant for almost 3 years now. There are 3 of us that work with clients on a 1 to 1 basis with clients facing sleep challenges. I live just outside Cleveland, Ohio. I live with my husband and 3 kids. My oldest is 5 and then 3 and a 15 month old. So it's crazy around here and I definitely relate to a lot of moms. Its been really great working with Beewise. I love that 1 to 1 personal level to work with clients and solve their sleep challenges with them!
Me: That's awesome! So sleep is very topical for you! How do I get these children to sleep?!
Katie: Absolutely yes!
Me: So, is that what brought you to becoming a sleep consultant or was that something you were intrigued by before?
Katie: I never even heard of a sleep consultant before I had my first son. He was a terrible sleeper and I didn't know what I was doing wrong, or why. At 7 months old I looked at my husband and said I can not do this for one more night. We were bouncing him to sleep on a big exercise sleep, feeding him to sleep, putting his pacifier back in a million times. We were exhausted. That's when I reached out for help and discovered this whole world of sleep consultants that I didn't even know existed! We got help and it worked amazingly and we were in love! By the time my second child was born I thought it would be a really cool opportunity and I started when she was 8 months old. It's been a really fun 3 years!
Then I had to get my dog because she was mad I was outside without her.
Me: Hopefully there are some moms watching (or reading) this that relates and doesn't know this is a thing, so how can that person connect with you and then what does working with a Beewise consultant look like?
Katie: There are different options based on the child's age and the level of support that you need. We collect a lot of information from you, on your child's sleep and then we make a custom sleep plan for your child! We give you all the tools that you need to solve your situation specifically. We work 1 on 1 with you, go over that sleep plan, answer all your questions. Then the different packages have different levels of follow-up support. That can be phone calls or emails that are scheduled usually over the course of 3 weeks to get everything going so that your child is sleeping well by the end of our time together! And we have 100% success rates with the families that follow their sleep plan! We can absolutely solve your sleep challenges!
Me: Yes that's awesome! I can speak on my experience, I worked with Meg. I co-slept with my kids in the beginning and I loved that. That was important to me. But then we sold our house and built a house. We lived with my in-laws while we were building for almost a year and we all shared a room, the four of us, in the same bed. When we moved into the new house I knew they needed to have their own space and sleep in their own bed. My daughter was 4 and my son was almost 2. I was done co-sleeping, it was great but now I'm done with it. But I knew I could not do that by myself. When I found out about Meg and what she did I was so excited. It was such a smooth transition. It was awesome. I told everyone that was having sleep issues to call Meg! (now Bee wise!)
Katie: That's such a wonderful testimonial, we appreciate that! It is gentle, and you are there with your children. It's not about crying it out but it's a very parent present approach. You are there with them, supporting them every step of the way while they get used to the new skills that they are learning.
Me: Yes! I feel like some of the things that she said was like "oh yeah, duh!" but unless someone was saying it to me I would not have figured out that is what I should do! You just don't know what you're doing when you're a parent!
Katie: Nothing at all!
Me: So do you have advice, obviously hiring a sleep consultant is the ultimate help but do you have advice for new parents, parents that are struggling, at what point, in your experience do you decide you need exterior help?
Katie: So, deciding when to get help is a super personal decision because what works for one family and they are happy to do, doesn't work for another family. Maybe one mom is fine getting up twice a night to feed their child but another mom is like I know they are healthy and they don't need this anymore and I can't do it. So it's really personal when it seek out that help. When it's no longer working for you is what I tell parents. When you're no longer happy with it and it's not working for you and your family, that's when you should reach out for help.
As far as my favorite tips, the first one for newborn, if you're expecting, practice those independent sleep skills as soon as they're born. Practice setting that baby down awake! It sounds scary, it sounds like the opposite of what you want to do. But when you start when they are young, it's not about crying! So starting young is best but it's never too late for good sleep!
The second tip would be, following wake windows. If anyone is totally lost on when they should be awake, just send me a message and I can send you a chart! (Link to her profile here) Preventing those over tired baby or toddlers is crucial for good sleep as well.
Me: Thank you for those tips! So this is not necessarily about sleep or children but one thing I've been asking all of the people I have interviewed so far is What is one thing you wish all women knew?
Katie: That comparison is the thief of joy. That's my favorite quote. Don't compare your child, yourself, your life to anybody else. Not on social media, not in real life. Do what works for you and what makes you happy. If you're happy that's all that matters. It doesn't matter what your neighbor down the street or your mother in law tells you- you know what is best for your family and comparing will just drive you nuts!
Me: That is so true, beautiful! It's nice to get to know the people behind the businesses that you might want to use so I've also been asking if you could describe yourself in three words?
Katie: Okay... that's hard! I'm actually an introvert. I'm a kind person. And I'm busy! Definitely in a busy season right now!
Me: I understand that! So is there anything else that you would like to add?
Katie: I don't think so! Just if anybody has any questions I'm happy to talk through messenger just reach out and I can respond as soon as I can!
Me: Awesome, so this is a bonus question! If you were stranded on a deserted island, what 5 things would you have to have with you?
Katie: Oh man, 5 things... water and food those are the obvious ones, a fan not only to keep cool but I like white noise when I sleep so that would be important!
Me: It might help to keep the bugs away too!
Katie: That's true! Oh man... what are my favorite things? A really comfy pillow that's important and I'm not getting any younger. And if I'm allowed to have my cell phone... its everything you could ever need.
Me: So true! Music, books, everything! So what is the best way for people to connect with you?
Katie: Obviously on Instagram, on our profile there's a link to our website and we offer a free 15 minute phone call, zero pressure just to learn about your situation, how we can help you, and how we can benefit your family. The Beewise website and on facebook!
Me: Awesome! I really appreciate you taking the time to do this! One person did leave a question on my post- Do babies and sleep belong in the same sentence?
Katie: They sure do! Yes! Nobody gets to skip the newborn phase, that is always going to be hard. But after that, yes! Every baby can be a good sleeper, sometimes it takes a bit of effort but I haven't met a baby I couldn't fix yet!
Me: Awesome! Thank you and it was so lovely getting to know you!
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