Why This Dad’s Diaper Brand Is a Game-Changer for Kids with Disabilities (2025)

If you are a parent, you know the feeling of doing anything to help your child. Even if that means starting your own company to fill a need in the market, a need that will make your child more comfortable and treated with respect.

Brady Crandall’s oldest daughter was born in 2020 with hypoxic-ischaemic encephalopathy (HIE). It's a brain injury that can occur before, during, or shortly after birth. It's caused when oxygen or blood flow to the brain is reduced or stopped.

She’s almost 5 years old now, and as she grew, Crandall realized there was a need in the market for diapers that fit children who are too big for baby diapers and too small for adult-sized diapers. He couldn’t find anything that worked well for his daughter, so he created a new size of diapers and founded his company Youth Crews.

Most baby diapers go up to size 6 or 7. Youth Crews offers sizes 9, 10, and 11 made just for kids.

When I spoke to Crandall, it was clear how passionate he is about helping other families with children with disabilities not only get the quality products they need to help their kids, but also to have their children treated with the respect they deserve.

As a parent of a child with multiple disabilities myself, I know how important thoughtfully made resources are to families like mine.

How Youth Crews Got Started

Crandall owes much of his success to his wife, who gave him the space and support to make it happen.

“My wife is the cornerstone and the bread maker of the family,” says Crandall. “She supported me and gave us stability so I could pursue this need in the community. Also, [we live in] Colorado and are in-home support service caregivers (IHSS) where parents can be paid caregivers for their kids.”

Ironically, Crandall’s mom is a pediatric occupational therapist with early intervention, so he’s always been familiar with the disability community.

With a background in advertising, Crandall knew there had to be a better way to not only make a good product, but to market it better to that community, because well-made, age-appropriate diapers are important for growing kids with disabilities.

“If you don't have a diaper that fits and you're leaking, then your wheelchair's going to get messy,” says Crandall. “You can’t just give them a onesie. Our kids are wearing jeans and real clothes, so are they supposed to bring a suitcase to school?”

Initially, Crandall knew nothing about diapers, but he reached out to a former colleague, mentor, and now co-founder, Perry Quinn, who knew more about the business side of starting a new company. They spoke once a week, then twice a week, and soon, they were brainstorming together every day. Eventually, they brought in contractors for support and reached out to manufacturers to figure out how to move forward.

Finding a manufacturer wasn’t easy because machines that make diapers are built for a certain size that can’t be easily modified. Eventually, they found a manufacturer who was willing to work with them because, at the time, the manufacturer was revamping their machines and could adjust the size to fit their needs. The team at Youth Crews also had to prove there was a need for the product, which they were able to do by sharing the number of kids who need toileting help across a variety of disabilities.

It's Not Just About Fit, It's About Respect

Aside from convenience and finding the right fit, kids with disabilities and their families regularly live in a world that isn’t made for them.

“Even just seeing our Youth Crews packaging in her room feels so much more age-appropriate and fun,” says Crandall.

“We're used to the typical pictures of babies on the packaging that can feel like microaggressions and can be annoying and frustrating," Crandall continues. "All these things add up [when you deal with them] over time. For example, there's somebody parked in the blue stripes [of an accessible parking space] or a building you try to go into that doesn't have an accessible door, or the sidewalk is super bumpy, or the products you buy are for babies, so you have to shop in the baby section.”

I couldn’t agree more. Small microaggressions seem innocent or can be pushed off in the moment, but dealing with them repeatedly gets under your skin and eventually wears you down. Especially after spending most days navigating doctors, therapists, paperwork, appointments, school, and medical equipment needs, all while caring for a child with disabilities, which can make it hard to find time for self-care or replenish your bucket.

What's Next for Youth Crews?

The disability community has responded well to Youth Crews, and Crandall continues to get requests and orders daily. The day before my interview with Crandall, a parent at my son's school posted about Youth Crews. She said how touched she was when she received a personal response to a thank you she sent to the company.

"It's been a pretty overwhelmingly positive reception," says Crandall. "We've been surprised, not just by the demand, but the incredible support from the community. The notes in the orders saying, 'God bless... and thank you! This has been wonderful.'"

Crandall says parents are telling them they are solving a real problem that's been hiding in plain sight. One mom said their size 11 diaper was the first to fit her daughter in more than 15 years.

Their team is constantly working to refine their products based on feedback from families while exploring what other essentials might be missing for kids who have outgrown the baby aisle but aren't ready for adult products.

Youth Crews just launched in December, but since then, they've shipped more than 2,300 orders. The company currently does not work through insurance, but they do accept payments using flexible spending accounts (FSAs) or health savings accounts (HSAs). The team is trying to find creative ways to open up financial access to more families who have a need.

For now, Crandall is enjoying his growing family, connecting with the disability community, growing their business, and learning a lot from his daughter.

“People travel the world and pursue incredible things to find contentment or to find peace, but when you have a kid with disabilities, I feel like you learn so much more about how to be content with really simple things,” he says.