kimberleyfisher_1043 — Kimberley Fisher - Eco Child

Why Eco Child?

I was lucky enough to be raised by parents who instilled a deep respect for the environment. Apparently when asked in my first year of school what I wanted to be when I grew up - I said a garbage truck driver so I could stop it from going into mother earth!!! I wonder what my solution was??! I ended being an Occupational Therapist & Kinesiologist (and training to be a baby-wearing consultant) and when we began planning for a family, my passion for parenting in a sustainable way was ignited.

Adam is a lover of being outside, trial running, keeping fit (ridiculously!) and since becoming a father has become a strong advocate for "free-range parenting" and the benefits of nature play. He's also the one with the business smarts - he says I'm the heart beat and he's the brains - hahaha...... I would give everything away. So when you put a hippy mum and a business savvy nature lover together - you get Eco Child.

We are raising our children very consciously; with regards to their wellbeing but also with respect to the environment. Gentle parenting I guess. Cloth nappies, babywearing (no prams or bouncers) baby-led weaning, chiro and homeopathic care, gut health is a BIG focus in our family and generally being outside and getting dirty. Our beliefs and way of life permeate through our business; we wouldn't do it if our values didn't align.And there must be lots of other families like us who embrace a less is more approach to consuming as Eco Child is flourishing with thanks to people's shift to wanting quality over quantity and parents becoming more educated about the toxic chemicals found in baby products.

Why only organic/natural?

Not even a question!! Why would you not choose organic and natural products!? The science and cold hard facts are there, the chemicals in our modern environment have been linked to abnormalities in cognition, development, behaviour, etc etc - even when it's at the reported "safe" levels. Chemical free, organic and fresh air is what our little one deserve.

We only stock organic cotton clothing or bamboo clothing, bedding & sleepwear. You know all this already - but cotton is the most heavily sprayed crop in the world. If a baby is wearing non-organic cotton, they are being exposed to the insecticides, pesticides, herbicides, synthetic fertilizers and bleach that were used to grow and manufacture the cotton fabric. No way! We also love the organic farming practices that are behind where the clothing comes from. Creating healthy soils, keeping waterway safe and clean, using crop rotation to preserve natural nutrients, avoiding monocultures and promoting biodiversity and employing natural enemies of pets.

Eco Child will turn 10 this year and we will never waiver from our promise to only stock the most pure, natural, safe and ethically sourced/produced products. In the beginning this really limited the range, but it's heartwarming to see so many new companies with strong moral, ethical and eco-conscious values doing so well. Prices are slowly becoming more competitive and it's our dream for this way of production to become the only way.

What next?

Personally, we have just moved off our rural property where we lived very sustainably, into a tiny-weeny 60 sqm house! It's certainly not forever and will move home someday, but we wanted to try to live very simply, with very little for 12 months. We are learning so much and have let go of so much we thought we needed. Becoming minimalist is challenging, something difficult, but ultimately rewarding. Our children are benefiting from more present parents, understanding that we don't need an accumulation of stuff (distractions) and we all have more energy to focus of health and hobbies.

For Eco Child, we will continue to work hard at sourcing and offering safe and eco-friendly products for our customers. Sourcing toys which promote imagination, creativity, and encourage being active and outside is our favourite part of the job. Our two little product testers (Matilda 5 and Jimmy 2) would also agree :) We are also wanting to source products (namely skin care/clothing) for women wanting to conceive and those that are pregnant as the importance of pre-conception care and maternal health is being realised. Education and promotion of parenting in a sustainable way through our blog, social media, workshops, events etc is also something we would like to put energy into now we have a great team keeping the shop and warehouse running smoothly. All while trying to maintain that delicate family-work-life balance lol!!!

Kimberly & Adam have kindly offered 15% orders online when using discount code "HolisticEco" valid until end of Feb 2017

You can find Eco Child at:https://www.ecochild.com.au/

Facebook: https://facebook.com/EcoChildOrganic

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ecochild/