Nutritional products formulated for children have been getting a mother’s touch from brands that saw gaps in the modern marketplace. Addressing unmet needs for their families, these companies have been on a mission to do better for kids everywhere.

Kidstar Nutrients

Based in Vancouver, BC, Canada, KidStar Nutrients was founded by Caitlyn Vanderhaeghe when one of her three daughters was diagnosed with serious iron deficiency anemia at the age of two.

“I went on a hunt for great quality products, and to be honest I came up empty-handed,”  Vanderhaeghe said. “I was reading labels and putting them back on shelves. Anything that was even close to what I wanted to buy she wouldn’t even take.”

The core of the KidStar line is iron products for that reason, and the company aimed to fill a gap in the market for single-ingredient nutrient deficiencies, such as omega-3s and vitamin D3, which are commonly lacking in the diet, Vanderhaeghe noted.

The company also offers its StarMulti—Multinutrients Plus Organic Fermented Whole Foods, a complete multivitamin and mineral formula that comes in sugar-free chewable tablets. “Generally we recommend a multivitamin because it’s really hard to get kids to eat what we want them to every day,”  Vanderhaeghe said.

None of KidStar products contain sugar, artificial colors, artificial sweeteners/flavors, soy, gluten, or GMOs, according to the company.


“The biggest thing that we focus on for our brand is the entire ingredient list,”  Vanderhaeghe noted. “So we don’t just focus on great quality active ingredients, we want to make sure the non-medicinals are just as good, if not even better if they can be. And the more we know the better we can do. So when new information comes up, we of course would adapt to make sure our products are staying up with the science.”

Vanderhaeghe understands raw material sourcing with more than a decade of supply-chain management experience. She actually grew up in and around the natural health products market. Her mother is Lorna Vanderhaeghe, a leading natural health expert and women’s health advocate who started her own business, Lorna Vanderhaeghe Health Solutions, which was acquired by Jamieson Laboratories in 2014 and is now known as Smart Solutions. Caitlyn managed the supply chain for the business before starting her own family.

In February of 2023 Caitlyn received the Woman of Worth: Business Mom of the Year Award, which recognizes—among other leadership credentials—time and energy management to thrive as both a businesswoman and a mom.

Ritual Essential for Kids Multivitamin 4+

Ritual, the personal health brand founded by CEO Katerina Schneider, is devoted to true, next-level transparency. The company offers its Essential for Kids Multivitamin 4+, a sugar-free gummy multivitamin formulated with picky eaters in mind. Among other essential vitamins and minerals, the product includes 50 mg of omega-3 DHA from whole microalgae, a fiber and prebiotic blend, 45 mcg of vitamin K2 as MK7, and 55 mg of choline.

The product is formulated without sugar or sugar alcohols, and it’s vegan, gluten and major-allergen free, non-GMO, and contains no artificial colorants.

Ritual also promotes Essential for Kids 4+ as “Made Traceable,” meaning the supplier, final location of manufacturing, and purpose of each ingredient are disclosed on the company’s website, “so you know what your kids are putting into their bodies.”

The company has also earned B Corp Certified status. In 2022, Ritual expanded its reach beyond its direct-to-consumer business into Whole Foods Market, the company’s exclusive retailer. Since launching in 2016, Ritual has had more than 1 million customers, surpassed nine figures in revenue, and become a leader in the supplement industry.

HerbaLand Kids

In 2002, Aisha Yang and her husband Musharaf Syed moved to Canada to build a better life for their family. Facing economic challenges in 2009, after Yang had her third child, she decided to quit her marketing job and start something new. Experimenting in their kitchen to make health and wellness products—with a newborn—she eventually landed on gummies as a delivery system.

When the brand’s manufacturer stalled out in 2013, Yang and Syed took a risk and bought their own manufacturing machine, without knowing how to use it yet. Since then, HerbaLand has grown to become Canada’s largest gummy manufacturer.

HerbaLand’s kids line includes Multivitamin; Omega-3, Immune Bears featuring echinacea, elderberry, vitamins C, D3, and zinc; Calcium; Calm & Chill with magnesium and chamomile; Multi + Probiotic; and Vegan D3 & B12.

The company’s product line now comes in pouches made from compostable, plant-based ingredients, diverting over 10 tons of plastic from ending up in landfills each year, the company said.

The Certified B Corp has a diverse workplace representing more than 20 different countries.

“Everybody will have some dream in their mind, but when you put your all in, you are not only focusing on selling for profit, you are just focused on doing something good for the planet, good for your team, good for society and your community,” Yang told NW. “This is our mindset. Our company culture is very clear. We are diverse, inclusive, and we are sustainable. Those are three things we are definitely very proud of.”

Mental focus is very important to success, Yang added, reflecting on her journey as a business leader. “In my experience, as a woman in business, as a minority in business, an immigrant in business … I just say believe in yourself. Be very open minded, open to receive feedback, open to watch trends in the market and be hyper-focused on what you want to achieve. Don’t get distracted.”

True Grace: True Littles Probiotic + D3

Founded by Kristina Hall, True Grace is a Certified B Corp on a mission to provide nutrient-dense products that regenerate the health and wellbeing of people and the planet. The company recently launched True Littles, “formulated with intention, and crafted for your little ones.” 

True Littles Probiotic + D3 is a daily probiotic for immune and digestive health that contains 10 billion total CFU at the time of manufacture, three quantified and DNA-verified probiotic cultures, and 800 IU of vitamin D3. The product is shelf-stable and is offered in a 2-in-1 stick pack, which can be taken as is or added to cold food or drinks.

According to the company: “Your child’s microbiome, made up of trillions of microbes located primarily in their gut, turns over every 3 days…. A healthy microbiome is crucial for proper early development and long-term health—so it’s important to fuel their microbiome properly.”

True Grace is also certified CarbonNeutral and its supplement bottles are made using Ocean Waste Plastic (OWP), which includes post-consumer recycled plastic, as well as plastic rescued by the ReSea Project, an ocean clean-up effort that employs local fishermen in Jakarta, Indonesia, to pull plastic out of waters near fisheries.

The company’s custom-made bottles are designed to be refilled with product sent in refill pouches.