Posted on Sat, 11 September 2021
I am a 33 year old ABDL guy with a story to share. This happened about a year ago, right at the start of COVID lockdowns.
As a cabinet maker by trade, I found myself looking through Craigslist for work opportunities. The shop I worked at laid off more than half the staff and unemployment benefits hadn't kicked in yet. I worked a couple of jobs building random things for people, like a small bridge for a lady's garden, a Murphy bed for a guy that lived in a studio apartment, and a fancy cat mansion for a lady with a dozen cats.
Then I saw an ad looking for a "kink-friendly woodworker" willing to build an adult sized crib. Being ABDL, I jumped at the chance. I already had plans in my head, but never had the funds to make it work. I sent them a very detailed email asking for details about the job, so I could try to quote them as low as possible to get the job. I explained that I was ABDL myself and would do my best to give them the crib they wanted at the absolutely lowest cost possible.
Their response was typical for most laypersons. They had no idea on specifics and just wanted a crib. I told them I could do a simple crib for a few hundred dollars or I could get fancy with the hardware for closer to two grand. We emailed back and forth to work out the details. They wanted a crib that was as accurate to a standard crib as possible, but in a TwinXL size.
I went to meet them the following day to pick up a check to purchase the materials. Since they never signed their emails, I had no idea who I was talking to. I was pleasantly surprised when a moderately attractive woman in her mid-30s answered the door. She invited me in and the first thing I noticed was a man about the same age, wearing a Tykables diaper and standing in the corner. I followed her down the hall to the empty bedroom where they intended to build their nursery. She took a few minutes to explain where in the room she wanted to put it. I measured the height of the ceiling, as she wanted the crib to be close enough to the ceiling to prevent climbing over.
After we had the plans sorted, she explained that they had been married for ten years and had a soft MDLB relationship - meaning she was always in charge, but they could really only participate when time allowed. However, with lockdowns, both their jobs had been transitioned to work-from-home, so they decided to make the leap to a full time dynamic.
It took about a week to build the crib. I had to order a few pieces of hardware that weren't available locally. Luckily, they were delivered quickly, because I was building it in my father's garage. Living in an apartment, I didn't have my own space for large power tools. Building cat houses and pond bridges wasn't an issue, but building an adult sized crib would probably raise some eyebrows. It turned out to be a non-issue though, as I had already set a precedent for putting my own padlock on his garage to secure my tools. Plus, he had knee surgery a few month's prior and never went out to the detached garage.
The crib was a bit hit. They both loved it and I was given a $200 tip. They asked me to build a high chair with restraints and a playpen with wooden spikes on top to prevent climbing out as well. If I'm being honest, I had this fantasy in my head of building them more furniture in exchange for diaper sessions or something, but it would be wildly inappropriate to ask such a thing. They paid just as well for the high chair and playpen and then we parted ways. I did get an email from her a few days after installing the playpen, telling me I had an open invite to their ABDL parties after lockdowns end though.