Mum’s mat leave side hustle finally makes carrying a baby pain and hassle-free

A Gold Coast mum couldn’t pick up her toddlers without suffering excruciating pain. Now her clever maternity leave side hustle has solved her problem.

After the arrival of her two children, Elodie, 3, and Lincoln, 1, the simple act of picking up her babies sent Laura’s body into flares of agonising pain.   

Since she was 16, the Gold Coast mum has suffered from rheumatoid arthritis, but it was going through childbirth which made her debilitating condition intensify, and worse still, was exacerbated by equally painful carpal tunnel syndrome.   

“I felt a lot of pain to wear a normal strappy carrier, and I couldn’t hold them normally because my arms would get throbbing pins and needles and become numb from the pressure to the point where I couldn’t feel them,” the 39-year-old mum tells Kidspot. 

“Instead of enjoying the moment in breastfeeding, holding them or trying to settle them, all I would think about was trying to put the kids down. To look after them, I would be putting myself through extreme pain. It took a lot of the joy out of parenthood because I couldn’t be present in that moment.” 

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“I felt a lot of pain to wear a normal strappy carrier, and I couldn’t hold them normally."

After trying out a brand of hip-seat carrier which came with over-the-shoulder straps when Elodie was a baby, the idea came to Laura in 2019 that one day, she would love to create one that suited her needs far more, and was easier to take on and off without straps. 

When Lincoln came along in 2021, Laura was just one month into her maternity leave when she decided to act on her idea, and begin creating her own hip-seat carrier in what would be her first ever business. 

“I was on the couch researching while breastfeeding or while Lincoln was sleeping,” Laura, who managed to juggle it all alongside her husband after going back to her full time job as a business consultant after four months at home.

“There were a lot of early mornings and late nights. I found any time that I could to work on it.” 

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A $65K investment that has paid off

In September last year, after 18 months, eight prototypes, and a whopping $65,000 investment of her own money, Laura finally landed on the perfect design for her strap-free hip-seat carrier with built-in storage. 

“I was overwhelmed, excited and a little in disbelief because it had been so long coming,” she smiles about her product, which takes just 15 seconds to put on. 

“I could finally pick my kids up and cuddle them without all the pressure and weight on my arms. I felt free, and I could wear it all day long without any issues for my back. Lincoln loved it too, because we could bond but then it was so easy to put him down again when he wanted to explore.” 

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The game-changing baby carrier

The Hackerlily HipSurfer retails for $197. It absorbs the full weight of a newborn baby right up until age three (or 15 kilograms), and distributes it evenly along the waist. It can be used by adults who range from a size six up to 18/20. 

“It can be used four ways,” Laura explains. 

“From birth as breastfeeding support, then from four months they can be sitting face-in once they have a strong neck, then from six months facing out. You can also wear it on the side of the hip.” 

Laura also has washable and waterproof interchangeable covers so that messy accidents don’t prevent the carrier from being used every day. 

“I also wanted people to be able to match outfits to the carrier, just like you would a handbag.” 

The Hackerlily HipSurfer is a game changer for new parents. Image: Supplied

Laura has no doubt that other parents and caregivers will find the same sense of relief using her product that she has. 

“Lincoln is teething at the moment so he wants to be held a lot,” she says of her side hustle which has become her saving grace. 

“So I use a lot in the house for that and keep it on when I’m doing jobs, and I’ll strap it to the pram when we’re out so I can use it for those times that he wants to get out and be up with me. When he falls asleep on me, it makes it so easy to transfer him because there’s no buckles or straps to fiddle with. My posture is so much better being able to carry both kids this way and my pain and migraines have eased so much.” 

Originally published as Mum’s mat leave side hustle finally makes carrying a baby pain and hassle-free