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Home › Mom of the Month

Nancy DeHart

By Kelly Burgess

Each month, iParenting.com spotlights a mother who inspires and moves us, who embodies the qualities that we all admire in a person, a woman and a mother. Above all, the Mom of the Month is dedicated to her children. Rich or poor, famous or not, she shines as an example of what mothering is all about.

They say that necessity is the mother of invention. Necessity – and motherhood – are the reasons Nancy DeHart became an entrepreneur. When she became pregnant with her son, Kai, now 3, and decided to use products that were as chemical-free as possible, she couldn't find any stores that carried eco-friendly products.

After Kai was born she had a particularly tough time finding natural products for children and new moms, so she decided to start a company to find and distribute those products. KaiKids (www.kaikids.com) debuted in early 2007 and now carries a complete line of environmentally friendly products for babies, toddlers and new moms.

DeHart's main source of suppliers is other moms, like her, who have similar goals – decreasing their carbon footprint, making sure their children grow up in as nontoxic an environment as possible and who want to be working at home while raising their children. Many of them have invented green products that have become wildly popular items at DeHart's online store.

A Crunchy Childhood

DeHart was born in British Colombia, and she says that "there's a stereotype that people who are from B.C. are crunchier." By that she means more environmentally aware and friendly. Whether the stereotype is correct or not, it does fit DeHart's family. She recalls her childhood as filled with more natural products, as, she thinks, was childhood in general a generation or so ago.

"The way I'm living now is the way my mother and my grandmother lived," DeHart says. "In a pretty short time we got into a very processed, manufactured state of consumption and the average person didn't understand the impact of many of the processes. We're all coming back full circle to how it was when we were kids and our parents were kids."

As a result of her upbringing, DeHart always led a healthy lifestyle, but when she became pregnant with her first child she became even more conscious of the types of chemicals in her environment. That was the beginning of her "green" journey as she purged all the dangerous cleaning products and turned to environmentally friendly cleaners. Then, after Kai was born, she decided to use as many non-disposable and natural products as possible. She turned to cloth diapers, made her own reusable baby wipes and tried natural baby care products she bought online or at local natural food stores.

Kai was still just a toddler, ready to move into a big boy bed and she had a second son, Garret, now 18 months, when DeHart started becoming concerned about the chemicals used in the manufacture of textiles. It led her to start looking for organic sheets and in studying up on how to minimize her child's exposure to chemicals in fabrics. The more she researched, the more one thing seemed to lead to another, making her more aware of how many chemicals we are really exposed to in our everyday life, including the ubiquitous plastic, used in bottles, sippy cups and toys.

The problem was that it was very difficult at that time to find organic alternatives for many of the products she used. So when her husband, Peter Chin, was downsized and they were looking for some extra income, it was a light bulb moment for her. "I said look at our life and all the research we're doing; surely there must be people who can benefit from what we've learned," DeHart says. "I knew there had to be a lot of moms out there like me who want to have the healthiest alternatives for their children as well."

A Third Child

With a babe in her arms and a toddler, DeHart prepared once again to give birth – but this time it was to her company. The name, KaiKids, was easy, since, as she says, "The whole idea of this company evolved from me having my first son," she says.

DeHart says that they have branched out from an online only store to having occasional store days in the Toronto area, which allows people to come and actually try on the clothing and look at their products. While more and more large stores in the area are starting to stock natural products, many of their items are one-of-a-kind. Their best customers, she says, are from the United States, since several of the products they carry can't be purchased here. These are her most popular items:

  • Bamboo Nursing Pads: Made by a fellow Canadian mom-prenuer, they're thin and lightweight and washable. They are much more comfortable to wear, DeHart says, than cotton.
  • Organic Teething Bon Bon and Ringley Natural Teething Toy: These are completely safe for Baby and do not leech chemicals as plastic teething toys do.
  • Bum Bum Balm: For Baby's delicate bum, of course. Again, it contains no chemicals.

Since they are now a one-income family, DeHart is very conscious of financial considerations and often shares tips with the readers of her blog on how to go organic on a budget. She knows that organic foods and products are usually more expensive, but says part of the problem is that people don't realize how little they really need when they have a child. For example:

  • Diapers: Don't be afraid of cloth. Use a diaper pail with white vinegar or alternative bleach for soaking. Wash every two days.
  • Baby wipes: Make your own out of old washcloths. When it's time for a diaper change, just fill a bowl with warm water and use the cloths, no soap is necessary. When finished, toss the cloth in the diaper pail.
  • Hand-me-down clothing: Take advantage of hand-me-downs. Not only does it cost less than buying new, but clothes that have been washed many times have no chemicals, unlike new clothes. Recycling is also better for the environment.

DeHart says the important things to focus on are what goes in your baby's mouth and against his skin. She keeps abreast of the "dirty dozen" (www.organic.org/articles/showarticle/article-214), which are the 12 most contaminated foods, and focuses on buying organically for those products. She also warns parents not to buy car seats secondhand, and to be sure any secondhand cribs are up to current safety standards. Otherwise, she says, wait until you actually have your child to see what you're going to need.

"When you're a new parent there is so much focus on what you need, but really there's so much you don't need," DeHart says. "Anything you don't buy not only saves you money in the short term; it saves the environment for your children in the long term."

Try Nancy DeHart's recipe for Bean and Cheese Quesadillas!



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