Mum Wins National Award for World-First Baby Sun Protection Invention

Bebe Trek founder Anna-Lise Brink has been awarded Bronze in the Product Design category at the 2025 AusMumpreneur Awards, recognising the innovation behind our world-first Multifunctional Magnetic Sun Cover.

The achievement follows a string of national award recognition for Bebe Trek. Alongside the AusMumpreneur win, Bebe Trek was recently named a finalist in the Kiindred Baby & Toddler Awards and was also recognised as a finalist in the Mum Central Awards earlier this year.

For founder Anna-Lise Brink, the recognition is both exciting and humbling.

"It's an incredible feeling simply to be recognised as a finalist in so many awards, but to actually take out a win is beyond anything I imagined when I first started Bebe Trek," she said.

"Juggling and growing a business with three young kids, including a newborn, isn't easy. There have been plenty of late nights and lessons learned, but seeing parents use and love our product makes it all worthwhile."

From Maternity Leave Idea to Award-Winning Product

The idea behind Bebe Trek was born during maternity leave with Anna-Lise's second child.

Like many parents, she relied on muslin swaddles to provide shade for her baby while outdoors. However, after researching baby sun safety, she discovered that many muslin fabrics provide surprisingly little protection from harmful UV rays.

The more she learned, the more concerned she became.

"Baby sun protection can be a real struggle. Babies under six months can't use sunscreen, and infants under 12 months should stay out of direct sunlight when the UV Index is 3 or above," Anna-Lise said.

"Yet the sun protection method so many parents use, draping muslin swaddles over prams and carriers, isn't actually sun safe and can be about as effective as SPF 5 to 6 sunscreen."

Realising many parents were likely unaware of the issue, Anna-Lise decided to create a better solution.

Building a Business From Scratch

What started as an idea quickly turned into a mission.

With no prior business experience, Anna-Lise designed and developed the Multifunctional Magnetic Sun Cover while working full-time, completing a Master's Degree, and raising a young family.

She invested her own savings into developing prototypes, testing fabrics, refining designs and building what would eventually become Bebe Trek.

"I realised many other mums and dads would have no idea how poor muslin swaddles can be for sun protection, so I invested my life savings into building a trustworthy baby sun protection brand that would make outdoor adventures easier for families," she said.

A World-First Design

The result was the Multifunctional Magnetic Sun Cover, a world-first design that combines UPF 50+ bamboo fabric with integrated magnets, loops and an adjustable strap.

The innovative design allows parents to securely attach and configure the cover in more than a dozen different ways across prams, baby carriers, shopping trolleys, car windows and other everyday situations.

The goal was simple: create one product that solves multiple challenges parents face when trying to protect their babies from the sun.

Rapid Growth and Industry Recognition

Since launching in February 2024, Bebe Trek has experienced extraordinary growth.

The business has grown by more than 1000%, expanded internationally, sold out multiple times and helped thousands of parents enjoy outdoor adventures with greater confidence and peace of mind.

"It feels like a long road, but Bebe Trek's success proves that a mum-led, self-funded startup can scale quickly, win industry recognition and build a loyal customer base, all within its first year and a half," Anna-Lise said.

"Our growth and having sold out three times validates not just the product, but the genuine need it fills for parents."

Thank You for Being Part of the Journey

The AusMumpreneur Awards celebrate Australia's leading mums in business, recognising excellence in innovation, product development, customer service and entrepreneurship.

To receive this recognition is an incredible honour, but none of it would be possible without the families who have supported Bebe Trek from the very beginning.

Every order, review, recommendation and shared adventure has helped us grow our mission of making outdoor adventures safer, easier and more enjoyable for families with babies and toddlers.

Thank you for being part of the Bebe Trek journey. We're only just getting started.