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She said the design of house brands is outdated with low backs, so she wanted to bring the current high-rise pant trend to the design of her diapers.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.