Regina woman designs her own diapers to stop 'messy situations'
A Regina woman is setting out to end baby "blowouts" by designing her own diapers.
Four years ago, Erika Tkatchuk came up with the idea of Lil Mak Diaper Co. after giving birth to her first daughter.
“The contents of her diaper kept exploding everywhere,” Tkatchuk said. “After experiencing that myself, I talked to other parents and they also had the same experiences and there was nothing on the market that addressed those concerns.”
She said the design of house brands is outdated with low backs, so she wanted to bring the current high-rise pant trend to the design of her diapers.
“I changed the elastics around, I made a little bit of a higher waist, in the back specifically, and everything stays where it should,” Tkatchuk said.
Over the last four years Tkatchuk has been working with manufacturers to come up the design and materials, and getting business advice.
Frank Grolle, owner of Greenwood Management Services, said he was taken aback by the diaper idea when Tkatchuk came to him for advice.
“When you get over the initial surprise and recognize there is a need for the product, as there are with so many products that aren’t in a sense fashionable, it’s been very exciting,” Grolle said.
The marketing campaign for Lil Mak Diaper Co. is mainly on social media, which Grolle said is a great starting point.
“Will Erika enjoy the same size market as some of the larger players? Probably not, but she will be able to capture a significant segment of the market given she has a unique product that services a specific need,” he added.
The first shipment, containing 37,000 packages of diapers, arrived on Jan.14, with the website launching on Jan. 21.
Tkatchuk said since then business is going well, with most customers being in the Regina area.
Over the next five years, Tkatchuk hopes to expand her products to include diapers for children and teenagers with special needs and partner with organizations who help parents in need.
“There’s a lot of people we don’t even realize in Saskatchewan who can’t afford those basic needs for their children,” she said. “The ultimate thing I want to accomplish with Lil Mak is just to reach those families.”
Lil Mak Diaper Co. items can be purchased online.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'They needed people inside Air Canada:' Police announce arrests in Pearson gold heist
Police say one former and one current employee of Air Canada are among the nine suspects that are facing charges in connection with the gold heist at Pearson International Airport last year.
House admonishes ArriveCan contractor in rare parliamentary show of power
MPs enacted an extraordinary, rarely used parliamentary power on Wednesday, summonsing an ArriveCan contractor to appear before the House of Commons where he was admonished publicly and forced to provide answers to the questions MPs said he'd previously evaded.
Leafs star Auston Matthews finishes season with 69 goals
Auston Matthews won't be joining the NHL's 70-goal club this season.
Trump lawyers say Stormy Daniels refused subpoena outside a Brooklyn bar, papers left 'at her feet'
Donald Trump's legal team says it tried serving Stormy Daniels a subpoena as she arrived for an event at a bar in Brooklyn last month, but the porn actor, who is expected to be a witness at the former president's criminal trial, refused to take it and walked away.
Why drivers in Eastern Canada could see big gas price spikes, and other Canadians won't
Drivers in Eastern Canada face a big increase in gas prices because of various factors, especially the higher cost of the summer blend, industry analysts say.
Doug Ford calls on Ontario Speaker to reverse Queen's Park keffiyeh ban
Ontario Premier Doug Ford is calling on Speaker Ted Arnott to reverse a ban on keffiyehs at Queen's Park, describing the move as “needlessly” divisive.
'A living nightmare': Winnipeg woman sentenced following campaign of harassment against man after online date
A Winnipeg woman was sentenced to house arrest after a single date with a man she met online culminated in her harassing him for years, and spurred false allegations which resulted in the innocent man being arrested three times.
Woman who pressured boyfriend to kill his ex in 2000s granted absences from prison
A woman who pressured her boyfriend into killing his teenage ex more than a decade ago will be allowed to leave prison for weeks at a time.
Customers disappointed after email listing $60K Tim Hortons prize sent in error
Several Tim Horton’s customers are feeling great disappointment after being told by the company that an email stating they won a boat worth nearly $60,000 was sent in error.