Lil Helper Diapers – Awesome, Dad Run Company with a Mission
How many aerospace engineers does it take to design a cloth diaper? Uhh…well…two! Mohammed Gandhi (yes, that’s his real name, I asked so you didn’t have to, hee-hee.) and Nader Abu El Samid were college buddies, who both have a bachelors and a masters in Aerospace Engineering and have full-time jobs in the industry. When Mohammed & his wife Sophia went out looking for cloth diapers for their daughter, Zara, they were shocked by their cost and lack of functionality. It took two years for the company to take shape after Mohammed ensnared his equally geeky friend in his plans.
Lil Helpers has a Baby Do Good program where they donate one brand new PUL cloth diaper to a family in need for every 3 diapers they sell. Their Do Good Page answers all the FAQs about the program, and they hold themselves accountable for the donations on the Lil Helper blog.
Their website has an awesome page comparing cloth vs. disposable diapers, and being aware of their geeky tendencies, I’m not surprised that the cost comparison even includes water & electricity cost! 😉
I’m not saying much about their diapers today because I haven’t tried them…yet. I will be reviewing all 3 types of their cloth diapers and inserts (they also have wipes and wet bags.) Oh yeah, there will be an awesome giveaway too! They call their diapers “all-in-ones” since they do not need a separate cover, but they are what I consider an “all-in-two” since they consist of a reusable, waterproof “shell” and interchangable inserts.
The Lil Helper (affiliate link) owners live and work in Canada, so as they say, don’t worry that they’ve outsourced to India if you call and hear an accent! Lil Helpers has put a lot of thought & research into balancing value and workmanship. They originally wanted to make the diapers in Canada (and their first few hundred diapers were made in Toronto) but the cost of production was just too high. Generally, materials come from overseas anyway…even if fabric is made in Canada, the yarn would still be coming from Asia. That said, they really would prefer to make the diapers in Canada, but just couldn’t do it while still maintaining affordable prices, and continuing their Baby Do Good sell 3/donate one mission.
While the diapers are made in China now, I wanted to share what Mohammed had to say about it. I love that Lil Helper is up front, honest and transparent.
“I went to China and stayed there for a month to find a workshop that will let me view its facilities to ascertain that my products are being made in a healthy environment. After vetting 6 workshops, we finally arrived to the workshop that is currently fulfilling our orders. That was last October; it took us a year for them to get the materials, workmanship and quality up to a high standard where we would be comfortable to put our name against it. Every step of the way we also sampled the products on my daughter and a bunch of other CD babes, incorporating their suggestions into our design.
At the end of the day, we believe that there is a right way of doing business with China and then there is the fast and easy way. The right way is to go vet several workshops and be comfortable with the way your products are being made- knowing well that my own daughter would be using the diaper along with every parents’ most prized possession. The fast and easy way is to look up a company in China on the net that can make your product for the least amount of money in the fastest time without caring how and where its made. Frankly, we wouldn’t be able to sleep at night if that option was exercised.
I will be traveling to India in December and will try and find even better ways to get products made in India under more supervision.”
My absolute favorite thing about this company is the humor. Take some time to look around the Lil Helper website, and I promise you will find something to make you chuckle on every page. From their why buy from us page (“Do not be fooled by our movie star looks and redundant education- we are just like you.”) to their cloth diaper descriptions (“Your baby has had a bad case of the “disposable rash” and these are your options: #1: You let precious move around in her birthday suit and risk the defilement of the Persian rug that grandma left you in her will. #2: You cover your baby’s tush in a lil helper. Lil helper cloth diapers come closest to replicating the convenience of disposables without the overwhelming feelings of guilt, shame and financial recklessness. Thank you for choosing the second option. You got us worried for a moment.”) to their mission (check out the list of what Lil Helper was not established to do.) and FAQs, there is humor everywhere.
You can buy Lil Helpers diapers from Diaper-eez in Toronto or directly from Lil Helper. Be sure to “like” Lil Helper on Facebook, follow Lil Helper on Twitter and check out the Lil Helper blog.
So, what do you think of this company? Are you excited for the review/giveaway? Take a look around their site and tell me what made you laugh the most. I promise, there are hidden gems everywhere. Read every page. 🙂
FTC compliance: I was not compensated for this post and all opinions are my own.
Maria wants to live in a world where cloth diapers are the norm and moms can make parenting choices without judgement. When she’s not chasing her 18, 14 and 11-year old kids around, you might find her checking out the latest gadgets, organizing something (again) or exercising in the fresh air. 
[…] how many aerospace engineers does it take to create a cloth diaper? Well…two! Read about Lil Helper, read my Lil Helper […]
[…] you missed my post about Lil Helper Diapers last month, I hope you’ll check it out. I already liked this company a lot before I had even […]
Can’t wait to see your review Maria. I just ordered a couple to try myself in our search for the perfect diaper. Ghandi, any chance you guys are considering hook and loop closures?
Hey Toni,
Firstly, thanks for placing the order!!!! Typing becomes a little difficult when I am dancing but I’ll try.
During our first year of experimentation, we tried the hook and loop AKA Velcro on the diaper since it was much more cost effective from a manufacturing standpoint. Snaps are kinda expensive, comparatively.
The feedback we received from CD mamas was not encouraging. They complained of muck sticking on the velcro during washing and drying, which eventually make the diaper useless. We understand that it is a little less work for the parent to diaper, but if you cannot use the diaper for the entire life cycle because of a part failure the added convenience is wasted. So in short, we are not considering Velcro or Aplix right now. We are a fickle bunch though and might change our minds, if we do, you’ll be the first one to try our new diaper.
I am loving Lil Helper diapers 🙂
Thanks Heidi!!!
Really enjoyed your article. I use these diapers and love them so was very curious to read your excellent review!
[…] have two blog post reviews of Lil Helper and our diapers- the first post by Maria Moser at change-diapers.com, and the second post by Lisa Day at […]
“Hugging, Loving,
and Pampering
the world”
hahaha!
Laura,
I am glad that you got that pun!!!
For those who didn’t- the three biggest disposable diaper brands in the world are: Hu__ies, L_vs and P_mpers.
Aah, the gray matter that was destroyed in order to come up with that one tag line. Its finally worth it.
Thanks.
First of all, I love that these diapers are made by dads! You hear so much about WAHM diapers. I also love how conscientious they are about the workshop facilities. Awesome
Regan,
For sometime we debated whether we should disclose if we (two guys) are behind these diapers. This was due to the perception that WAHMs are the only ones making diapers and we didn’t want to stand out for the wrong reasons.
We are glad that we chose to be open about and honest about our selves and the reception we are getting for it has been encouraging.
Thanks for the love.
These guys sound like a riot! I look forward to reading your review. Their referencing baby using your mattress as a potty brought back some memories and laughs.. I can’t count the number of things I can’t wait to replace once our youngest is using the potty full time!
Amanda,
Thanks for stopping by our site. Most of the content on the website is derived either from personal experiences or mishaps that have happened with someone we know. Its good to know that we are not the only ones to have stains on our mattress.
BTW, I stopped by your site and you have very relevant topics and discussions. Congratulations.