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INTERVIEW:
Jannine Barron of
Nature's Child
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Nature's
Child sells quality, earth-friendly products for natural pregnancy,
babies and children. Their products are made from the heart,
care for the earth and encourage individuality, self-esteem,
trust and creativity. Earth Mamas Web talks to Jannine Barron,
creator of Nature's Child and mother of two about what it's
like being an entrepreneur, an environmentalist and a mother.
What
inspired you to create Nature's Child? What were your intentions?
My children and the lack of natural products available for them
was the inspiration for Nature's Child. There were virtually
no natural alternatives for basic items six years ago when I
was pregnant with my first child. I knew what I wanted like
a belly oil and a pre-natal yoga video, but they just didn't
exist. Anything I did find took determination and research or
importing them from Europe and USA. It seemed crazy and I was
sure I was not the only person wanting natural alternatives
to disposable, plastic products and mainstream information.
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My
clear intention became, to create a place where natural,
organic, chemical-free products for pregnancy pampering,
birth preparation, baby essentials and children's play
were readily available. And by creating such a store,
more parents would be inspired to create natural products.
It's really only been in the last couple of years that
products have even been created to create Nature's Child.
The timing is right for a store like us. The products
are becoming available and the demand is increasing. When
I began to research the idea, I found that America and
Europe had lots of natural products and dedicated organic,
natural stores, but no-one was doing it here in Australia.
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The
Belly
Casting Kit
Playhouse
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So
how did you start Nature's Child?
Nature's Child has been a dream in different forms since the
birth of my first son six years ago. There wasn't even such
thing as a pregnancy belly oil then. My midwife told me to get
some almond oil and rub it on my belly. I remember thinking,
why isn't there just a bottle with a label on it saying pregnancy
belly rub so I can be sure it is the right thing to use? Since
that time, mothers all over Australia thinking the same thing
started creating such products. My product was the hug-a-bub,
which I created with another mum in 1998. Even then though,
I just wasn't satisfied with one product only. Since I couldnt
create all my dreams, I realised it was easier to encourage
other inventors and create a place where it would be easy to
buy them all.
I began to refine the idea to earth-friendly products only when
I began looking at my own parenting habits. I was fascinated
by nappies in particular, different ways of folding, different
styles. I was thrilled to find pre-folded and fitted varieties
and proceeded to purchase samples of everything i could get
my hands on. I didn't realise at the time that this passion
was actually research for future brands that I would sell! I
also sought out parenting publications in Australia and Overseas,
reading everything I could get my hands on - about alternative
products in particular. America and Europe are advanced in this
area with many exciting, earth-friendly products, lots of organic
stuff. In Australia, there was very little and those people
that were creating pure products tended to be small cottage
industries without a platform for marketing.
The first catalogue was called Nature's Belly, Baby and Child.
I pulled it together with another visionary mother with similiar
ideas from Murwillumbah. She had similiar idea's at her shop
"Mother Nature's". ( Who has since gone on to create earthmamasweb!!)
It made sense that we should experiment together with a mail
order catalogue. Our first, one colour catalogue with a mailing
list of only 2000 was a hit. The response was great and we got
tremendous support from many mums relieved to have earth-friendly
options for day to day products. We knew then that we had struck
a chord. Twelve months later, after continued research, Nature's
Child was born in my spare room. We now have a shop in Byron
Bay, a website and national mail order business.
What
is the philosophy behind Nature's Child?
Simply said, to honour the beauty and wonder of pregnancy,
birth, babies and childhood. To do this in a way that cherishes
our natural instincts, our natural environment and it's
resources. From the beginning, we wanted to be as pure as
possible. We wanted Nature's Child to be a place that parents
can know and trust that our products are the healthiest
possible products for our kids and our environment. Organic,
re-usable, recycled and natural is the philososphy. We made
a very conscious choice to only sell products that are made
from the heart, care for the earth, nurture self-esteem,
trust and creativity. It was also essential that the products
are convenient and user-friendly. it was also very important
to me that I was familiar with all the products from personal
use, or had close firends feeding back to me. If I'm not
sure about a product, I give them away to a few people for
research purposes. They have to be high quality as well
as earth-friendly. They have to work, They have to be useful
and beautiful. I think our philosophy is best laid out on
the "About us" page of our website under the subheading
Our Service, Our Vision, Our Mission. |
Love Child Tee Pee
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Tell
me about the type of people who make and supply products to NC?
What I love about most of the creators of the products you find
at Nature's Child, is that they are parents, inspired by their children
to create beautiful products and to work flexible hours that suited
family life. This inspires us so much that we have made it a mission
at Nature's Child to support small business; and particularly home-based
business. When there is more than one type of product available
and they both meet strict earth-friendly criteria, we choose a home-based
business over a large company providing the same product.
Do
you think that as consumers, parents have power to affect postive
environmental change?
Each one of us is a parent in a billion throughout the world. So
it is very clear to me that every choice every one of us makes affects
the environment and the climate of social change. Mothers in particular
are the greatest networkers. We love our kids so that means we are
very opinionated, demand the best and care about their future, in
a way more passionate than we care about our own. We influence each
other easily. The creams we use on our kids skin, the food we demand
for them, the nappies we use, how we teach them to dispose of rubbish
in their home. When you put that together, it is easy to see that
of course we have the power to affect positive environmental change.
We can affect buying patterns and therefore manufacturing processes.
We are an important link in the chain that can demand purity.
What are the main things parents need to be aware of when purchasing
produucts such as toys and clothing for their children?
When it comes to clothes, I always ask myself the question,
can their skin breathe in that? When it comes to toys, I always
ask, is there plenty of room for imagination, is it durable, what
will happen to it when they are finished being playing with. I also
ask what is it made from and are the materials safe, especially
if my child is young enough to want to suck on it still. Many parents
boil plastic toys thinking they are cleaning them but the chemicals
used in processing are more likely to weep out by doing this, exposing
a young child to chemicals. ( see our link to the Greenpeace site
on this )
How
did your own experiences of parenting affect you?
It seemed the most natural thing in the world for me to have a homebirth.
It was a logical step to explore attachment parenting. I was open
to all ideas and when my son was three months young, I started a
parent support group in Byron Bay. We filled the community centre
easily with mothers looking for support. Being an area known for
it's alernative ideas and a well known pregnancy support group,
I heard many ideas and theories every week. This was a huge help
to us all and the most wonderful resource I could have had for parenting.
Amongst my own social group, I was fortunate to have experienced
mothers who's wisdom had a great impact on me. The bottom line,
like most parents, is wanting the best for my child. And the best
for my child means the best for the environment too.
What
toys do you purchase for your own children?
When it comes to toys, kids will love anything they find, especially
plastic! My kids get their plastic hit from the Local Toy Library.
An invaluable resource that cuts out wastage and it great fun for
the kids. In my own home, there is inevitably a bit of plastic,
it's hard to avoid. But primarily, you will find beautful wooden
toys that will last for years. I prefer them not just because they
look good, but because in my experience, children respond differently
to wooden toys, they tend to leave the most room for imagination
and creative play. I like simple outdoor activiites for the boys
so I prefer to spend my money on things like a great sandpit and
outdoor activity gym. As their parent, I feel that I can choose
what they have exposure to and can control that exposure for quite
a few years while they are young.
The questions I ask, myself are what affect it will have on them,
their psyche and what will happen to it when it is no longer wanted?
If it ends up in the garbage eventually, how is it being recycled?
How do you find the time as a mother to run a successful business
like this? Night time is when most of it happens. I am limpeted
to my computer, recieving and packing orders, marketing and responding
to customers. I also have a few days during the week while they
are at preschool. Of the many conscious choices I made, one of them
was not to compromise my mothering. That is why it has taken a bit
longer to set the business up than it possibly could have. But then
again, this year was a natural time to launch it, not just because
my youngest was turning four and I had a bit more time on my hands,
but becasue the products were ready. There are quite a few things
in our range that have only been lauched this year anyway. It was
a natural time for me both personally and from a product point of
view.
What
is your future vision for Nature's Child?
Nature's Child could easily become a whole department store one
day. But I believe it is best to go slow, at a natural pace, research
and respond to my market as it grows. Listen to my customers and
get it right, over getting it done fast. I would love to see a totally
organic section. A larger homewares section and lots of homemade,
quality stuff that supported smaller parent-run industries.
Check
out Nature's Child at www.natureschild.com.au
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