Thirteen weeks of bed rest when she was pregnant with her second child was all it took for Erin Cloke to create eco-friendly kids clothing line Kicky Pants. “I didn’t watch TV, so I had a lot of time to put it together!” jokes Cloke. With a background in textiles, Cloke made the leap into children’s clothing after not seeing what she wanted for her own children on the market.

From pants to pajamas, all of the items in the Kicky Pants line are designed to be breathable, durable—and super comfy. Even the pretty formal dresses for girls are monkey bars-friendly. “I wanted the line to be reflective of what kids do, rather than how parents want them to look,” says Cloke. “I designed the line for kids to look cute but still feel free to play and jump around.”

Cloke launched the line in 2007, but quickly enlisted her husband, Nick, to join the company. “We started receiving orders right away, and I needed his help!” says Cloke, who admits that she loves working with her hubby. “There’s something about knowing what’s going on in each other’s lives that I wouldn’t trade for anything,” says Cloke. Their roles couldn’t be more different: Cloke is the company’s head designer while her husband focuses on marketing and sales—and also doubles as the company’s product photographer!

Balancing work and family life—the couple has four children: Orrin, [6], Thatcher, [4], Tallulah, [2,] and Oliver, [3 months]—can be difficult at times, but strong work and family ethics gets them through. “Fortunately, we are in an industry that is very supportive of families,” says Cloke. “If I go to a trade show without the kids, the buyers get upset!” And in spite of quick success, Cloke is happy to take the business day by day. “We want to maintain a healthy level of growth, although it is wonderful to get huge orders,” says Cloke. “But you have to grow slowly and steadily. In work as well as in life, that’s one of the biggest keys to success.”