Superbottoms

Mission: Spread smiles, Babies’. Mothers’. Earth’s.

The Brand: Superbottoms, started by two new parents who got a little too fascinated by the entire potty management aspect of raising their new baby.

Initially, they kept struggling with the langots and disposable diapers and diaper rash creams until one day they finally found the ultimate and the perfect solution.

They were so enthused by the Cloth Diapers that they could not stop raving about them. Slowly many of their friends began to avoid them for their irritating enthusiasm pertaining to their son’s potty and the cloth diapers.

But Pallavi and Salil were far from being discouraged and in fact went a step further to launch a brand of advanced cloth diapers in India.

Thus was born Superbottoms.

Superbottoms Diapers: We at Superbottoms have designed our diapers after a lot of experimentation with various designs and cloths.

As parents, we have very carefully chosen the features that went into making these diapers.

Right from the double leak guards on each diaper, to the best suede lining, to the idea of using square tabs. Each small feature, we believe, can go a long way in making your and your baby’s experience with cloth diapering a pleasure.

Superbottoms Promise: We understand that though we have extensively experimented and researched before designing our product, there is always room for improvement and the best ideas come from the customers.

So, we assure you that any feedback shared by you will be enthusiastically worked upon by our team to improve Superbottoms.

Being parents, we know that no query is too small or unimportant when it is about your precious little one. So if you have any doubt, please feel free to reach us any time and we promise to get back to you with answers as soon as possible.

The Team: Apart from Pallavi and Salil, the team comprises of Dr Neeta who is our design consultant and Dr Milind who is a pediatrician and patiently addresses all our questions about potty management.

And Pallavi and Salil’s baby who is Superbottoms’ first and also the most critical customer.

Immature Supervision

So I have taken to reading Seth Godin's blog a lot lately.

Recently he wrote a post about how people's reaction to pressure is what really matters and not the pressure itself.

Which reminded me of one common feedback I received when I quit my job at Piramal.

"Even under the worst pressures, you will see Pallavi calmly doing her work, methodically, unfazed"

They even showed that in a video made about our team... everyone is running around, and I am sitting at my desk and calmly working.

And this feedback got me by surprise and in fact made me feel angry.

I remember those chaotic moments very well and I also remember that my mental state at that time can be described as anything but calm. I would always feel like I was on the brink of a breakdown.

but it appeared to my bosses that I was all gathered... 

Yes, after the work was done or when I would finally come home, my husband could see the chaos in my head (and probably experience the 'heat' too)... but while at work, no one ever noticed!

And no, I did not particularly try to mask it... I was just doing my work and I knew that in chaos, chaos was counterproductive. 

What is important here is not the part wherein I tried to do the job under pressure but the part wherein all my bosses (and superbosses) misunderstood me. 

When a person is trying very hard to keep things in order in a hopelessly pressurized situation, the last thing she needs is an assumption from the bosses that she can handle pressure well....

and then be surprised when she finally snaps. 

As a boss, your short term goal is to get the job-on-hand done.

But a seasoned boss knows that knowing exactly what the person working for you is going through can help him in the longer run...

Gratitude

Being grateful is not easy. Not when your mind is so accustomed to finding what you don't have and to trying to achieve it. We call it progressing.

But being grateful is the first step to tuning in to the universe.

How does one be grateful? What does it mean to be grateful? How to be grateful without entering into the feeling of getting something despite being worthy of it?

Being grateful is to be humble.
Knowing that there were a lot of things the universe did so you could give in your best and get where you got.

Being grateful is to feel protected.
Feeling the ball of light around you.

Being grateful is to be at peace.
If the universe helped me with this, it will help me again when I need it.

Being grateful is being happy.
Value that what the universe gave you. Respect it. Don't sob and undermine it.

Being grateful is to always remember friends and family.
Gratitude is not just restricted to the universe. Never forgetting how and when your friends stood by you, especially when you are on the top, that is being grateful.

Being grateful is being proud.
Being proud of yourself that you were able to attract from universe those beautiful things that you got. You got them only because you deserved them.

Be Grateful. The universe loves you.

PS: Apart from those who are a part of these discussions, people will find this post to be random. Kindly excuse :-)

Down to earth, yet a star!

Dear Kabir,

Weekends for mom and dad have always meant bhatakanti. We would go to random places - in and out of Mumbai, aimlessly...super fun!

With you coming in, we are going to continue the trend. Yet, most places we went to, might not really be good for you at this stage :)

And taking you out to a huge brightly lit, air-conditioned building with 100s of shops you hardly care about (except hamleys) and 100s of restaurants you hardly care to taste (gimme ma milk and i shall be an angel) does not appeal to me. 

So we decided to check out the many parks in and around Mumbai! Yesterday was Hiranandani Meadows Park day... 

Since you love standing on your own 2 feet these days, we decided to give your feet some other surface to feel (apart from the usual ones such as mommy's face)

And you loooooved it!

Down to earth

Next week - next park, more fun!

May you always be the star that you are, yet stay down to earth :)

Love

Mommy

Priceless

So how do you become a mom?

There is a traffic island at bandra which says "a child gives birth to a mother".

Well, so does giving birth make you a mom? Hardly. Giving birth only makes you a tired, aching, cranky, sleep-deprived, and an odd-shaped woman. Not a mother.

Becoming a mother takes so much more than giving birth!

And pregnancy is the easiest part :-)

So when during pregnancy you had mood swings which got the better of you...

Who was there to bear them? Mom (husbands apart)

When you delivered, and came out, and could hardly manage to sit, forget feeding, who helped you sit up and feed each time? Mom

When you were hardly able to get out of the bed, and did not do much apart from feeding your baby and eating and sleeping, who ensured that you got all the right nutrition, meals at the right time? Mom

When you cried because you found the entire process overwhelming, who helped you deal with it? Mom

When your baby began to wail and just would not calm down, you got worked up and shouted at whom? Mom

When you got anxious about how will you manage your job and the baby, who gave you strength? Mom

When in the middle of the night, your baby woke up and you were too sleepy to put him to sleep, who stayed up all night and told you to sleep? Mom

When the hormones got better of you and the cranky baby wouldnt let you calm down, who did you hand over the baby to? Mom

Who taught you to change diapers, feed the baby, clothe the baby, clean the baby, love the baby? Mom

Whose repeated advice about eating well, sleeping well you kept ignoring? Mom's

Where did your baby learn all those goofy songs from? Mom

Who compromised her work to make sure you were comfortable? Mom

Who stayed away from her home at your home to help you get going with baby care? Mom

And who do you therefore miss terribly when the baby gets cranky now and you are on your own? Mom

And they say a child gives birth to a mother? I disagree.

A mother gives birth to a mother.

As the old mastercard ad goes,

Hospital bill of having a baby: rs 50000

All the baby gear and clothes: rs 15000

Having a full time nanny: rs 8500

Having your mom to help you become a mom : Priceless