By Megan Sprague

Splish splash! You’re giving your little one a bath and all of a sudden, you’re taking one, too.

Those nightly soakings inspired LKN resident Julie Yenichek to create something she says all parents can use — the Yeni.

“Two and a half years ago, I was giving my son Jack a bath and I kept getting wet,” Yenichek said. “I tried everything, including stuffing towels down my shirt. I knew there had to be a better way to go about this.”

Cornelius mom Emily Fowler demonstrates the Yeni with inventor Julie Yenichek’s daughter, Katie.

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Her invention, the Yeni, is an apron made from a terrycloth material, like a towel, to keep mom dry. As a bonus, you can wrap baby up with the bottom of the apron to gently dry him.

While she didn’t have to look far for inspiration, Yenichek turned to her friends to help make her concept a reality.

“When I was first starting to try to make this, my girlfriends helped me try out several prototypes,” she said. “It took two years of me playing around and using my friends as a focus group to get it right. I also gave them out at baby showers to make sure there was a market for them.”

After finalizing the design and talking to recipients, she knew she had a winning idea on her hands.

“Everyone I showed it to said they wanted one,” Yenichek said. “I went to Poppies (in Birkdale) to get one monogrammed, and they said it was a great product. I’ve gotten such good response.”

That’s not to say that the road to success was easy for her.

“I was working full time with two children and still trying to find a way to make this project happen,” she said. “It took a while to find the textile mill for the apron supplies and find a market, since I’ve never done this before. It was draining and exciting all at the same time.”

Yenichek said it was important to her that the materials for her product be made in America. Her apron fabric comes from Conover, and the product is put together in Hildebran.

“We have five styles for children and have developed a style for pets as well, using the fabrics that did the best during the protype period,” she said.

Locally, the aprons have done very well, and are sold in Poppies and Polka Dots in Ft. Mill. Yenichek recently launched a Web site, http://www.yenithing.com, to reach even more customers.

The apron sells for $30 without personalization, and $40 with initials or a message on the front.

Yenichek said the process has been a fulfilling one for her.

“A happy bathtime equals a happy mom, and that’s my favorite thing,” she said.

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