Nestrite is a thoughtfully designed baby brand created to support families through the earliest and most vulnerable stages of life with a new baby. What began as a solution to help the founders’ own daughter through colic and reflux has grown into a trusted everyday essential for parents seeking comfort, reassurance and practical support. Grounded in real-life parenting experience and intentional, safety-led design, their baby loungers are created to support little ones and parents through feeds, rest, play and the quiet moments in between, offering calm, comfort and confidence when it’s needed most. Here, Hayley Phillips talks to The Natural Parent Magazine about the inspiration behind their business, the challenges they have overcome, and their hopes and dreams for the future.
The passion: What inspired you to set up your business?
We never set out to start a business; we were simply trying to help our daughter, Airlie. Like many new parents, our world changed the moment our daughter arrived. Along with the joy came some unexpected challenges, as she struggled with colic and reflux. This meant countless feeds, frequent spit-ups, many doctor’s appointments, and a lot of advice – and at times, feeling quite helpless watching her discomfort.
We were determined to do whatever we could to support her, so we searched for products that aligned with the guidance we were given. We hoped to find something that would genuinely help make those early weeks a little easier for her and for us, but nothing felt quite right or truly fit our needs.
So we did what many parents do when nothing we found truly felt right: we created our own. What started as something made purely for our daughter quickly became part of our everyday life. Seeing how effective it was for her, and how much we relied on it day after day, made us realise that other families were likely navigating the same challenges.
That’s how Nestrite was born – from a very real place of wanting to help our daughter, and in turn, support other parents through one of the most demanding and vulnerable stages of early parenthood.
The launch: How did you start out in the beginning?
From the very beginning and leading up to our launch, it was a huge learning curve. We hadn’t realised just how many moving parts were involved, from understanding materials and safety requirements to navigating the practical and legal sides of launching a baby product. It was a lot to take on, and often all at once.
There were days when it was hard to stay motivated, especially while juggling newborn life, reflux and colic, self-doubt and mistakes along the way, all while my partner continued working his job. But we couldn’t ignore the genuine need we had experienced ourselves as parents.
Passion, persistence and learning as we went kept us moving forward. While we’re still a new business and continuing to learn, particularly around social media, advertising and the behind-the-scenes side of things, our launch went well. The positive feedback, reviews and reassuring messages we’ve received about our lounger have made the journey incredibly rewarding.
The innovation: What was the biggest breakthrough for you with your business?
Our biggest breakthrough came when we realised that something we had been intentional about during the design phase was being noticed and valued by our customers. What began as something to support our daughter through feeding and discomfort naturally evolved into an everyday essential, and families were truly absorbing the benefits.
Parents began sharing how they were using the lounger throughout the day – during feeds, playtime, rest and those quiet moments in between – from the early newborn weeks through to many months later. Hearing this feedback was incredibly powerful.
Knowing that something we created during our own challenging moments could grow with families and become a trusted side-kick in daily life reaffirmed our belief in thoughtful, parent-led design. Being recognised by platforms like The Natural Parent Magazine has further reinforced that there is a genuine need for versatile, supportive products created from real experience.
Yin and Yang: How do you balance work and family?
Balance is exactly it. While we both run our business alongside family life and work, it means constantly adjusting, learning what works and giving ourselves grace when things don’t go to plan.
We feel incredibly lucky to be in it together and able to share the business workload. My partner Justin often stays up late a few nights a week after work, while I fit things in during nap times and early mornings before our daughter wakes. We also try to set aside a few hours over the weekend.
Of course, it doesn’t always go to plan – parents will understand that! But we do our best to protect quality family time and stay present together.
