A little about Lil Helper:

We were introduced to this brand in February by our wonderful members! After seeing this post, word started circulating quickly regarding this company’s integrity and customer service. It seemed everyday they were being talked about and the raving reviews were overwhelming. Suddenly everyone needed to order for themselves not only to support this kind act but to witness the phenomenal customer service first hand. Even I (facing no diaper shortage) decided to give them a try and I love them! Uber soft, pretty colors and quite possibly my favorite elastic ever they did not disappoint. One day I decided to try using them on my babes (2 & 1) for nighttime and the flood gates held! I was very pleased. FL&CDS fell in love with the diapers and this company but we are also very passionate about the #makeCLEANclothmainstream movement (obviously) so it was no surprise that I started receiving an overwhelming number of requests to reach out to them to discuss the disparity in washing and diaper care instructions. As I obliged I was very impressed with the integrity Mohammed showed. He truly wants nothing more than to do right by his customers and help make cloth mainstream. At this time all I will divulge is that I am pleased with our conversations and excited to see what the future hold for Lil Helper as they continue to grow and evolve with the industry.

“Lil Helper Cloth Diapers was founded in 2009 by buddies Mohammed Gandhi and Nader Abu El Samid. Both met in Ryerson University, Toronto while studying for their undergraduate degree in aerospace engineering. Both these nerds also have a master’s degree in aerospace, which they occasionally use to impress people.”

 

The Author:

Mohammed Gandhi

“I am an avid reader, have never been impressed with any adaptation of books into movies, practice recycling as a religious obligation, scream like a little girl when scared, addicted to Ricky Gervais’s humor, stay-up to watch The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, absolutely adore my dad (my personal super hero), feel that it is essential to be nice to people at every station in life, cannot drive without listening to CBC radio and my GPS, love to write elegant code, don’t like sci-fi and live on ghazals.”

 

 

 

How to be a great decent Dad in 10 easy steps!

Step 1:

Always over deliver

The only things you remember from your life are things that happened when you weren’t expecting.

A grandparent that visited out of the blue on a Christmas.

A puppy/toy that you thought you’d never get.

Try and create moments like these for your kids- for them & you.

Surprises break the monotony of everyday life and will help create landmarks for your journey together as a family.

Your kids will always remember the time you ended up on a small family vacation on the pretext of going grocery shopping.

Or a surprise birthday party you threw for them. Hopefully it won’t end like this.

Step 2:

Celebrate Small Victories

Don’t wait for your kids to receive a perfect score on the SAT’s or win the gold in the Olympics to pop the champagne.

The problem in celebrating huge successes is that they come only once in a while and there’s too much waiting in between.

Find an excuse to celebrate anything.

Your boy being selected as Shrub # 4 in their class play is as good a reason to celebrate as when he loses his first milk tooth.

 

And you don’t have to hire an Elvis impersonator to have a ball.

Going to get frozen yogurt or getting some chinese take-out can be a mini party in itself.

Step 3:

Celebrate failures and missteps, even more lavishly

Imagine your friends took you out to the movies and gave you gifts after you had your first break-up. You might actually have good memories of that event.

When you surmise and moan about losing or failing it develops negative energy around that experience.

And guess what? Your kids will take less chances in order to avoid failing and disappointing you.

Let them know it’s okay to fail as long as you tried your best.

Share your own failures with your children and how you were able to overcome them.

And if you are able to look back and smile at your fumbles, they will too.

 

Step 4:

Try to be a better father than your dad

Your dad could have been a vagabond that ran away to Florida or he could have been like my dad, a super-hero in all sense of the world- the amazing part is- you can be better than them.

What that means is that you can take the good from your own parents and apply them in your arsenal of parenting skills and better the stuff that they lacked.

For example, my dad was a working man and thought that taking care of the kids was the mother’s job. I want to be involved in all parts of raising my daughter.

So if your father had not changed a diaper, maybe you should. And while you are at it, one up everyone by using cloth diapers or even better, Lil Helper Cloth Diapers.

The first time you see a dirty cloth diaper, your reaction will be:

Do it a few times and you will be changing diapers like this:

And even if you don’t enjoy changing diapers, you will be able to negotiate a better retirement home with your grown up kids when you tell them that you changed their dirty diapers.

 

Step 5:

Give the kids your undivided attention

I have been guilty of checking my smartphone or answering an important mail when I am playing with my daughter.

But I try and you should too, to give your kids your complete attention for at least 20 minutes a day. Make a conscious effort to shut out all distractions to sit and talk with your kids.

Let them know that for those few minutes they are the centre of your universe.

And if something or someone disturbs you and your child’s private time, you have my permission to do this:

Step 6:

Be generous

No matter what your current station in life, you can always help to make somebody else’s life better.

Be it saying “thank you” to the lady who is running the sampling booth at Costco or buying a homeless man coffee- every little bit helps.

Your kids will know that their father is a kind man and they will naturally be like you.

It has been proven that kids who grow up in abusive households will end up in abusive relationships and children whose parents are alcoholics will likely turn themselves into addicts. Fortunately, your kids will also follow your good example.

I had seen my dad pay the tuition fees of dozens of school kids in India and help poor families with groceries. We run Lil Helper, with the same tenets of generosity and kindness that was taught to me. Recently, we at Lil Helper had the chance to make a mom’s day better. The small bit of humanity we showed a customer, earned us tons of new customers and good karma from the cloth diapering community.

 

Step 7:

Teach your kids to be frugal

AKA how to be happy with less. Anything and everything, that you see or read is trying to sell you something. Imagine if your kids happiness depended on owning the latest iPhone or wearing the new Disney princess outfit.

Its a never ending circle where your kids will forget that those extraneous things do not contribute to one’s happiness.

Tell your kids that they can lead a fulfilled life without constantly buying crap that they do not need.

You are ensuring that you are molding adults who will have a satisfied life when they are a struggling student or a successful professional.

 

Step 8:

Tell them stories

Everybody loves a good story. Tell your kids stories and encourage them to tell their own. It could be just telling you how their day was spent or imaging scenarios about their favorite superhero. I feel that if your kids can hear stories, they will be a good listener and when they can tell their own stories they will be the life of the party.

And if you find that they are running out of stories, pick them a book and tell them to indulge in someone else’s stories. I started reading for pleasure in my mid-twenties and I feel like I wasted the better part of my life acting as if I was illiterate.

 

Step 9:

Don’t create shame around anything

Zara, my daughter is visually impaired. As a child she had a trance like attraction to lights. Strangers would comment on how much the baby likes lights. I would always tell everybody the truth about Zara’s condition without a hint of embarrassment. SInce we were so relaxed about talking about Zara’s visual acuity our friends and family adopted the same attitude. Nobody treats Zara like a handicapped child because of this. Nobody pities her because we didn’t feel bad about it to begin with.

Your child will have struggles. It could be challenges with learning, career, their sexuality, religion or body image.

Nothing is a big deal as long as you don’t make it. Relax, take it easy. Let them know that your love is unconditional and you are there for them, no matter what.

 

Step 10:

Share your own experiences in the comments below on how you think you are being a good father to your child.