For me, my fondest memories were the original Pampers in the purple box. I’ve paid big money for vintage boxes of these off of eBay, because there is nothing like them (except for ones that actually fit!). I can remember back to 10 years old when I first got my own bike and I could finally ride the 2 miles to the store by myself. I was so nervous buying the box, which barely fit into the grocery sack. I kept this part of my life secret for over 15 years. The Internet helped me to discover that not only were there many others that enjoyed such role-playing, more importantly; this was not some complete psychological disorder. To the contrary, it has helped me deal with many of life’s curve balls. It’s probably a little non-PC but I don’t care.

   More recently, while on vacation, I had to do my typical visit to an off-the-beaten-path drug store to see the rare brand of products often found at these retailers. I was fascinated by a baby print that I saw on a new diaper package. I tried to cut, tape, and even sew one together but it didn’t turn out quite right. I got to thinking, if I wanted a product like this, I’m sure there are others out there. Browsing the web I would find a single product here, another product there, but no one-stop shop for the whole ‘nursery’. Why couldn’t I find a way to manufacture the perfect AB/DL diaper and accessories myself?

   The venture got off to a very slow start, and many of my friends thought I was taking this thing way too far. At first I tried to get something out of the existing producers in the market. I got a few raised eyebrows and many more no’s. The big companies that make diapers did not want to make less than a million of something, and especially not for a use that they believe might harm their image or baby brands. A year of research, custom samples, and on-site visits with a dozen foreign manufacturers produced our flagship product launched in January 2008: “Super Dry Kids”. It has been a huge success; we sold out of the initial production run in just 8 days. This has inspired me to create even more AB/DL products.

   Sure our web site is somewhat self-serving; my girlfriend and business partner does not like that I’m the chief product tester. But it does allow me to conduct new product development and truly get to know what most of us want – a real baby product that fits big kids at a fair price. Unlike some of the incontinence product suppliers for which AB stuff is a sideline, this is all we do in a tiny little 3-person shop. And while we still have not recovered the initial R&D cost, this is definitely a labor of love for us.

   Thank you for all the great ideas and product feedback. Please let me know what you think and if you have any suggestions or constructive criticism to add. I enjoy the independent diaper reviews and photos posted online – it lets me know that all of our hard work got the product right, and that we can always improve!

Goo!

Baby Kyle
babykyle@abuniverse.com