Nature’s Child has been a pioneer and leader in empowering parents with products that are incredibly beneficial for newborns.
With an impressive passion and desire to make a change, Nature’s Child founder Jannine Barron launched the brand in 2000 to combat the amount of disposable and plastic products new parents were expected to use on a day-to-day basis. Jannine’s drive and commitment to creating the most pure, essential and cost effective baby products, with little or no waste, has set a new standard in the over polluted industry and continues to push environmental boundaries to ensure our planet thrives for future generations.
To coincide with the launch of Nature’s Child at F&F, we spoke with Jannine about her story and inspiration for the range, as well as her tips and tricks for making the switch to eco friendly and natural baby care products a simple and seamless transition. She details how her range will not only benefit your family's health and financial pressures but also significantly reduce unnecessary waste and its harmful impact on our planet.
Image: Nature’s Child Founder Jannine Barron
What inspired you to launch Nature's Child and what was the first product that you launched?
When I first had my children, I was shocked by the cost and waste of disposable baby products. This may sound normal now but you have to imagine 23 years ago most people wondered what I was fussing about. But I lived in the Byron Bay bubble and had like minded support here. There were no organic and natural products in baby shops back in 2000, so I had to search markets, local herbalists and mail order (pre internet) to find anything. People around me started asking me where I got my goodies and if I could get them some….so, I opened a small store in my garage. Back then, the word ‘organic’ was very new and most people’s first question was, “what do you mean organic?” - we take it for granted now!
The first product we made ourselves were the organic cotton breast pads. The only option in the shops were disposables and the only reusable pad was made from polyester, which is not breathable. This is still one of our biggest sellers. From its success, our goal was to replace everything a parent needed with a reusable option.
Nature’s Child has such a strong mission, can you explain the origin and drive behind it?
It is a deep value of mine to keep working on changing the way I consume and have less and less waste. I’m not sure where it originated from, but it was always common sense for me. I guess holding my babies and watching them grow and feeling responsible for the world we leave them is a big one. I just see it so clearly in what we are doing wrong and feel responsible to supply alternatives rather than just complain. That's why I make products. I also believe that we don’t really have a choice. The last 100 years saw a massive disruption to our ecosystem and a huge population rise; this combination resulted in the biggest change in pollution and toxicity in the history of the planet. We have to spend this next 100 years reversing it wherever possible. Everyone buys stuff, which is why I think shopping can be where the real revolution is at.
Here are our aims in a nutshell:
1 - To remove harm and waste to people and our environment from cradle to grave in production, manufacturing and packaging.
2 - To eliminate single-use, disposable baby products. To replace them with safe, affordable, natural and organic baby products that support our natural environment and our babies immune health.
3 - We make the products that parents use every day such as cloth nappies, breast pads and baby wipes for 1/5 of the price of the competition (which includes disposable nappies and accessories.)
4 - We are proud to be the first certified organic baby brand in Australia since 2000 and set the standard for purity. That is never to be marketing speak, this has to be the true standard.
Nature’s Child organic baby skincare has an impressive global following - what are some of your favourite natural ingredients for newborns?
There are two important parts to any ingredient. 1 – It has to work and feel good. 2 – the origin has to be verified. Only certified organic status can assure this traceability as it gives customers an independent audit of what we claim, not just pretty words on a bottle. Newborn skin is precious, sensitive and delicate so mineral rich oils combined with calming herbs and essential oils guide our chemistry. Calendula and comfrey are my favourite herbs, lavender and chamomile are our favourite smells and the tapioca in our baby powder is absolutely divine. It is softer than any other baby powder I know which is why I use it myself, like many of my customers.
What are some of the most common misconceptions that comes with switching to cloth nappies? And what age would you recommend to start using them?
Cost - People buy disposable nappies one packet at a time for around $20 but they don’t realise this adds up to about $4500 per child! - but 4 x packets of our organic cotton towelling nappies cost $280 plus $200 for nappy cover, snaps, liners and detergents. The total cost for cloth nappies that can be used over and over again plus all accessories for the life of one baby, including electricity and laundering is around $1000.
So right there, you have $3500 extra in your pocket and have saved the equivalent of approximately 150 bins of stinky nappies made from plastic paper and other non-biodegradable materials. Add that to the fact that alongside other parents having babies that year, approx. 800 BILLION disposable nappies end up in Australian landfill every year (according to research by the South Australian Government). Further details about cloth nappies can be found in this QLD government study which proved cloth is more eco friendly than disposables.
Other issues - Most people are afraid they will leak and they will be hard work. As all cloth nappy users know, this is not the case, you just need support. A few decades ago, everyone used cloth so gave each other tips on how to ensure they worked well, now you have to go online or ring companies to get support. OUR TIP. Starting at birth sets you up for good habits but if it does not work the first time, take a break and revisit them in a few weeks when things have calmed down. I know people who started cloth at every age from birth to one year of age. Any time is a good time. You will notice a difference to your babies skin immediately.
What is one motto that Nature’s Child follows every day?
Change the world, one purchase at a time.
Nature's Child can be found online at Flora & Fauna.
