diff --git a/example/src/Basic/index.tsx b/example/src/Basic/index.tsx
index 513c7621..aa854864 100644
--- a/example/src/Basic/index.tsx
+++ b/example/src/Basic/index.tsx
@@ -13,7 +13,6 @@ import ReactFlow, {
   EdgeChange,
   OnLoadParams,
   Connection,
-  nodeHelper,
 } from 'react-flow-renderer';
 
 const onNodeDragStop = (_: MouseEvent, node: Node) => console.log('drag stop', node);
@@ -30,38 +29,35 @@ const initialNodes: Node[] = [
     position: { x: 400, y: 200 },
     className: 'light',
     style: { backgroundColor: 'rgba(255, 0, 0, .2)' },
-    childNodes: [
-      {
-        id: '4a',
-        draggable: false,
-        data: { label: 'Node 4a', isNested: true },
-        position: { x: 400, y: 400 },
-        className: 'light',
-      },
-      {
-        id: '4b',
-        data: { label: 'Node 4b' },
-        position: { x: 500, y: 500 },
-        className: 'light',
-        style: { backgroundColor: 'rgba(255, 0, 0, .2)' },
-        childNodes: [
-          {
-            id: '4b1',
-            draggable: false,
-            data: { label: 'Node 4b1', isNested: true },
-            position: { x: 450, y: 450 },
-            className: 'light',
-          },
-          {
-            id: '4b2',
-            draggable: false,
-            data: { label: 'Node 4b2', isNested: true },
-            position: { x: 550, y: 550 },
-            className: 'light',
-          },
-        ],
-      },
-    ],
+  },
+  {
+    id: '4a',
+    data: { label: 'Node 4a', isNested: true },
+    position: { x: 400, y: 400 },
+    className: 'light',
+    parentNode: '4',
+  },
+  {
+    id: '4b',
+    data: { label: 'Node 4b' },
+    position: { x: 500, y: 500 },
+    className: 'light',
+    style: { backgroundColor: 'rgba(255, 0, 0, .2)' },
+    parentNode: '4',
+  },
+  {
+    id: '4b1',
+    data: { label: 'Node 4b1', isNested: true },
+    position: { x: 450, y: 450 },
+    className: 'light',
+    parentNode: '4b',
+  },
+  {
+    id: '4b2',
+    data: { label: 'Node 4b2', isNested: true },
+    position: { x: 550, y: 550 },
+    className: 'light',
+    parentNode: '4b',
   },
 ];
 
@@ -100,7 +96,7 @@ const BasicFlow = () => {
 
   const toggleClassnames = () => {
     setNodes((nds) => {
-      return nodeHelper(nds).map((n) => {
+      return nds.map((n) => {
         n.className = n.className === 'light' ? 'dark' : 'light';
         return n;
       });
@@ -109,8 +105,8 @@ const BasicFlow = () => {
 
   const toggleChildNodes = () => {
     setNodes((nds) => {
-      return nodeHelper(nds).map((n) => {
-        n.isHidden = n.data.isNested && !n.isHidden;
+      return nds.map((n) => {
+        n.isHidden = !!n.parentNode && !n.isHidden;
         return n;
       });
     });
diff --git a/src/components/ConnectionLine/index.tsx b/src/components/ConnectionLine/index.tsx
index f69da656..8095b821 100644
--- a/src/components/ConnectionLine/index.tsx
+++ b/src/components/ConnectionLine/index.tsx
@@ -14,8 +14,6 @@ import {
   HandleType,
   ReactFlowState,
 } from '../../types';
-import { nodeHelper } from '../../utils/nodes';
-
 interface ConnectionLineProps {
   connectionNodeId: ElementId;
   connectionHandleId: ElementId | null;
@@ -29,7 +27,7 @@ interface ConnectionLineProps {
   CustomConnectionLineComponent?: ConnectionLineComponent;
 }
 
-const nodesSelector = (s: ReactFlowState) => nodeHelper(s.nodes).flatten();
+const nodesSelector = (s: ReactFlowState) => s.nodes;
 
 export default ({
   connectionNodeId,
diff --git a/src/container/EdgeRenderer/utils.ts b/src/container/EdgeRenderer/utils.ts
index f6ad4360..d3e4ac20 100644
--- a/src/container/EdgeRenderer/utils.ts
+++ b/src/container/EdgeRenderer/utils.ts
@@ -3,7 +3,6 @@ import { ComponentType } from 'react';
 import { BezierEdge, StepEdge, SmoothStepEdge, StraightEdge } from '../../components/Edges';
 import wrapEdge from '../../components/Edges/wrapEdge';
 import { rectToBox } from '../../utils/graph';
-import { nodeHelper } from '../../utils/nodes';
 
 import {
   EdgeTypesType,
@@ -172,18 +171,16 @@ type SourceTargetNode = {
 };
 
 export const getSourceTargetNodes = (edge: Edge, nodes: Node[]): SourceTargetNode => {
-  return nodeHelper(nodes)
-    .flatten()
-    .reduce(
-      (res, node) => {
-        if (node.id === edge.source) {
-          res.sourceNode = node;
-        }
-        if (node.id === edge.target) {
-          res.targetNode = node;
-        }
-        return res;
-      },
-      { sourceNode: null, targetNode: null } as SourceTargetNode
-    );
+  return nodes.reduce(
+    (res, node) => {
+      if (node.id === edge.source) {
+        res.sourceNode = node;
+      }
+      if (node.id === edge.target) {
+        res.targetNode = node;
+      }
+      return res;
+    },
+    { sourceNode: null, targetNode: null } as SourceTargetNode
+  );
 };
diff --git a/src/container/NodeRenderer/index.tsx b/src/container/NodeRenderer/index.tsx
index 2f8be03f..58026bff 100644
--- a/src/container/NodeRenderer/index.tsx
+++ b/src/container/NodeRenderer/index.tsx
@@ -77,8 +77,16 @@ function Nodes({
       typeof node.height !== 'undefined';
     let childRect;
 
-    if (node.childNodes) {
-      childRect = getRectOfNodes(node.childNodes);
+    const childNodes = nodes.filter((n) => n.parentNode === node.id);
+
+    // if (childNodes.length) {
+    //   console.log(node.id, childNodes, getRectOfNodes(childNodes));
+    // }
+
+    // console.log(childNodes);
+
+    if (childNodes.length) {
+      childRect = getRectOfNodes(childNodes);
       node.position = node.isDragging
         ? node.position
         : { x: Math.round(childRect.x) - 10, y: Math.round(childRect.y) - 10 };
@@ -126,20 +134,6 @@ function Nodes({
           dragHandle={node.dragHandle}
           zIndex={3 + recursionDepth}
         />
-        {node.childNodes && (
-          <MemoizedNodes
-            nodes={node.childNodes}
-            snapToGrid={snapToGrid}
-            snapGrid={snapGrid}
-            nodesDraggable={nodesDraggable}
-            nodesConnectable={nodesConnectable}
-            resizeObserver={resizeObserver}
-            elementsSelectable={elementsSelectable}
-            scale={scale}
-            recursionDepth={recursionDepth + 1}
-            {...props}
-          />
-        )}
       </Fragment>
     );
   });
diff --git a/src/index.ts b/src/index.ts
index 139872f6..47989de5 100644
--- a/src/index.ts
+++ b/src/index.ts
@@ -26,8 +26,6 @@ export {
   applyEdgeChanges,
 } from './utils/graph';
 
-export { nodeHelper } from './utils/nodes';
-
 export { default as useZoomPanHelper } from './hooks/useZoomPanHelper';
 export { default as useUpdateNodeInternals } from './hooks/useUpdateNodeInternals';
 
diff --git a/src/store/index.ts b/src/store/index.ts
index 210d9d33..9da0b50c 100644
--- a/src/store/index.ts
+++ b/src/store/index.ts
@@ -28,7 +28,6 @@ import {
   NodePositionChange,
 } from '../types';
 import { isNode, isEdge, getRectOfNodes, getNodesInside, getConnectedEdges } from '../utils/graph';
-import { nodeHelper } from '../utils/nodes';
 import { getHandleBounds } from '../components/Nodes/utils';
 
 const { Provider, useStore, useStoreApi } = createContext<ReactFlowState>();
@@ -127,7 +126,7 @@ const createStore = () =>
       const { onNodesChange, nodes, transform } = get();
 
       const nodesToChange: NodeChange[] = updates.reduce<NodeChange[]>((res, update) => {
-        const node = nodeHelper(nodes).find((n) => n.id === update.id);
+        const node = nodes.find((n) => n.id === update.id);
 
         if (node) {
           const dimensions = getDimensions(update.nodeElement);
@@ -181,12 +180,11 @@ const createStore = () =>
       const { onNodesChange, nodes, nodeExtent } = get();
 
       if (onNodesChange) {
-        const matchingNodes = nodeHelper(nodes).filter((n) => n.id === id || !!n.isSelected);
-        const changingNodes = nodeHelper(matchingNodes).flatten();
+        const matchingNodes = nodes.filter((n) => n.id === id || n.parentNode === id || !!n.isSelected);
 
-        if (changingNodes?.length) {
+        if (matchingNodes?.length) {
           onNodesChange(
-            changingNodes.map((n) => {
+            matchingNodes.map((n) => {
               const change: NodePositionChange = {
                 id: n.id,
                 type: 'position',
@@ -304,12 +302,10 @@ const createStore = () =>
     unselectNodesAndEdges: () => {
       const { nodes, edges, onNodesChange, onEdgesChange } = get();
 
-      const nodesToUnselect = nodeHelper(nodes)
-        .flatten()
-        .map((n) => {
-          n.isSelected = false;
-          return createNodeOrEdgeSelectionChange(false)(n);
-        }) as NodeChange[];
+      const nodesToUnselect = nodes.map((n) => {
+        n.isSelected = false;
+        return createNodeOrEdgeSelectionChange(false)(n);
+      }) as NodeChange[];
       const edgesToUnselect = edges.map(createNodeOrEdgeSelectionChange(false)) as EdgeChange[];
 
       if (nodesToUnselect.length) {
diff --git a/src/types/index.ts b/src/types/index.ts
index b3133c0a..23fbb7e1 100644
--- a/src/types/index.ts
+++ b/src/types/index.ts
@@ -86,7 +86,7 @@ export interface Node<T = any> {
   width?: number | null;
   height?: number | null;
   handleBounds?: NodeHandleBounds;
-  childNodes?: Node[];
+  parentNode?: ElementId;
 }
 
 export enum ArrowHeadType {
diff --git a/src/utils/nodes.ts b/src/utils/nodes.ts
deleted file mode 100644
index c5520b1b..00000000
--- a/src/utils/nodes.ts
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,120 +0,0 @@
-import { Node } from '../types';
-
-function flat(arr: Node[], target: Node[]) {
-  arr.forEach(function (el) {
-    target.push(el);
-    if (el.childNodes) {
-      flat(el.childNodes, target);
-    }
-  });
-}
-
-const filterNodes = (condition: (node: Node) => boolean, nodes: Node[]): Node[] => {
-  let res = [];
-
-  for (let i = 0; i < nodes.length; i++) {
-    const n = nodes[i];
-
-    if (condition(n)) {
-      res.push(n);
-    }
-
-    if (n.childNodes) {
-      const matches = filterNodes(condition, n.childNodes);
-
-      for (let j = 0; j < matches.length; j++) {
-        res.push(matches[j]);
-      }
-    }
-  }
-
-  return res;
-};
-
-const mapNodes = (accessor: (node: Node) => any, nodes: Node[]): Node[] => {
-  let res = [];
-
-  for (let i = 0; i < nodes.length; i++) {
-    const n = nodes[i];
-    res.push(accessor(n));
-
-    if (n.childNodes) {
-      n.childNodes = mapNodes(accessor, n.childNodes);
-    }
-  }
-
-  return res;
-};
-
-const forEachNode = (accessor: (node: Node) => any, nodes: Node[]): void => {
-  for (let i = 0; i < nodes.length; i++) {
-    const n = nodes[i];
-    accessor(n);
-
-    if (n.childNodes) {
-      forEachNode(accessor, n.childNodes);
-    }
-  }
-};
-
-function findNode(accessor: (node: Node) => boolean, nodes: Node[]): Node | undefined {
-  let res = undefined;
-
-  for (let i = 0; i < nodes.length; i++) {
-    const n = nodes[i];
-
-    if (accessor(n)) {
-      return n;
-    }
-
-    if (n.childNodes) {
-      res = findNode(accessor, n.childNodes);
-
-      if (res) {
-        return res;
-      }
-    }
-  }
-
-  return res;
-}
-
-export interface NodeHelper {
-  filter: (accessor: (node: Node) => boolean) => Node[];
-  map: (accessor: (node: Node) => any) => Node[];
-  find: (accessor: (node: Node) => boolean) => Node | undefined;
-  forEach: (accessor: (node: Node) => void) => void;
-  flatten: () => Node[];
-}
-
-export function nodeHelper(nodes: Node[]): NodeHelper {
-  const flatten: NodeHelper['flatten'] = () => {
-    const flattened: Node[] = [];
-    flat(nodes, flattened);
-    return flattened;
-  };
-
-  const filter: NodeHelper['filter'] = (accessor) => {
-    return filterNodes(accessor, nodes);
-  };
-
-  const forEach: NodeHelper['forEach'] = (accessor) => {
-    return forEachNode(accessor, nodes);
-  };
-
-  const find: NodeHelper['find'] = (accessor) => {
-    return findNode(accessor, nodes);
-  };
-
-  const map: NodeHelper['map'] = (accessor) => {
-    return mapNodes(accessor, nodes);
-  };
-
-  return {
-    filter,
-    forEach,
-    flatten,
-    find,
-    map,
-  };
-}