She spotted a gap everyone else ignored and turned it into a lifeline for parents.
Before online shopping was cool… before big marketplaces dominated Southeast Asia… one Malaysian mom saw the future of parenting retail and quietly built an empire.
Meet Lavinie Thiruchelvam, the founder of Babydash, the online baby store parents now trust like their best friend.
The “Bad Business Idea” That Was Actually Genius
Back when Malaysian e-commerce was still a baby itself, yes, even before Lazada arrived Lavinie noticed something odd.
No one was selling baby essentials online.
Diapers. Milk powder. Baby food.
The stuff parents constantly need.
Why?
Margins were tiny. Profits? Almost nonexistent.
Most entrepreneurs ran the other way. Lavinie leaned in.
Instead of chasing quick wins, she built a system.
Low-margin daily essentials brought parents in.
High-margin items strollers, car seats, toys made the business sustainable.
One cart. One checkout. Zero store-hopping.
That’s how Babydash became a one-stop parenting hub before the term was even trendy.
Not Just an Online Store A Support System
Here’s where Babydash flipped the script.
It wasn’t just “add to cart, thank you, goodbye.”
Parents could actually call. Message. Ask questions.
Colicky baby?
Confused about stroller weight limits?
Unsure which skincare is safe?
The Babydash team didn’t just sell. They advised.
Trust became the brand.
Lavinie personally curates products, rejecting brands that aren’t transparent about ingredients or safety. No shortcuts. No shady labels. Because when parents trust you with their babies, there’s no room for compromise.
That human touch is why Babydash stands out in a world full of faceless e-commerce giants.
Built Through Chaos, Not Comfort
Then came COVID.
Online orders exploded. Sounds like a win, right? Not exactly.
Staff couldn’t come in due to quarantine rules.
Shipments from Europe and China got stuck.
Stock ran low. Pressure ran high.
But Babydash didn’t break.
They adapted. Hustled. Problem-solved daily.
For Lavinie, those brutal months weren’t setbacks they were training. The kind that builds real resilience, not Instagram-quote resilience.
From Malaysia to Southeast Asia
What started as a local solution is now a regional force.
Babydash expanded into Singapore and has its eyes on Indonesia, Vietnam, and the Philippines. Parenting problems are universal. So is the need for trusted advice.
And Lavinie isn’t slowing down.
Babydash is now the exclusive Southeast Asian distributor for Warmies those viral weighted plush toys you can heat or cool for comfort. Perfect for kids. Secretly loved by stressed adults too.
Next up? A skincare line made specifically for pre-teens and teens a group often overlooked but desperately needing safe, age-appropriate products.
Once again, she’s filling a gap others haven’t noticed yet.
The Bigger Story
Lavinie didn’t just build an online baby store in Malaysia.
She built a brand parents trust at 2AM.
A space where questions are welcome.
A business powered by empathy, not just algorithms.
From lawyer to mompreneur to regional e-commerce leader, her journey proves something powerful:
The best businesses aren’t built on trends.
They’re built on understanding real people with real problems.
And Babydash?
It’s not just a store.
It’s parenting, backed by people who care.
