LilyBugs are absolutely adorable! We’ve all struggled with leaky baby bottles or sippy cups. When I first saw these I loved them and wished I’d known about them when I was trying to get my own liltle bug to hold his own bottle, he never would do it! LilyBugs  is another great invention by a mom to solve a problem.

Let’s talk to Crystal, mom inventor of LilyBugs and our latest Momspiration!

1.) Tell us a little about your business and how you started it?

I started LilyBugs to teach my daughter how to hold her own bottle. I found that when she was about 6 months of age her bottle was leaking while we were driving in the car, and the only thing I could find to stop the dripping was a soft, pink blanket, so I quickly wrapped the blanket around the bottle. For the first time in her life, she reached up and grabbed the softly wrapped bottle, and I curiously let go. Then it was my husband and I, overjoyed by her independence, but it quickly stopped, because we returned home, she would not hold the bottle again, without something soft around it. While in the car, I told my husband, “wouldn’t it be great if there was something like this [the blanket], that gave babies a soft cover with maybe ears or wings or something for babies to reach for and grasp. So there came LilyBugs! I named the company after my daughter, Lily who was and still is my inspiration! We have been calling her “Lily Bug “ since she was born, and it seemed like a perfect fit!

2.) How did you come up with this adorable concept?

I decided that blankets wouldn’t work because they were too bulky and wouldn’t offer the tactile stimulation and grasping ability that was need for a baby to hold their own bottle. I love animals and bugs, and really all nature, and thought it would be really fun to have different types of animals with big ears, or wings, or something that would allow a small child to have an attainable goal by reaching for the ears or wings and then pulling the bottle toward them, lifting the bottle and eventually holding it, themselves. I also loved the idea of bright colors and big, silly faces, which children love to interact with. I think parents put into minds that everything should be pink and blue, and at LilyBugs, Inc. we like to challenge that, and give children the option to choose purple, brown or even bright orange. It cracks parents up, how much boys love purple, and I think it is wonderful that children can choose their own LilyBug, depending on what suits them, in terms of colors, textures and features. Some of our designs have little finger holes in them for a child to move their fingers in and out of while drinking, others have squeekers or crinkly material for entertainment, but all have interactive faces and soft materials for a child to rub while drinking. They also help absorb leaks, and condensation, and are great for transition into sippy cups, because they will fit them, too!

3.) What initial challenges did you face in starting your company?

When first starting this company, I was terrified. I was a new mom, with one idea and wasn’t even sure what was involved in starting a business or costs, or really anything. I first started asking people what they thought of it and if they liked the idea? My husband, being a therapist and myself graduating in psych, were really fascinated by how babies interact with faces, colors and textures, and being able to combine that with feeding was a breakthrough! It was so fun to watch babies for the first time with a soft LilyBug around their bottle and how they would light up and even more impressing is how babies would immediately know how to use it, like they had been waiting for something like this all along.
I found that Terminology is a huge thing in the business and I have self-taught myself almost everything, probably by asking a lot of silly questions to a lot of “Big” people. I would call or email anyone who would listen to my idea, and everyone would say “great idea, we love it, call us when your huge!” This was always funny to me, because it was these people that could make this company “huge.” I have a had a lot of wonderful supporters, not just my family but celebrities who have brought them to every party with their child, donations to poor families and also children with disabiliaites who could benefit from the encouragement of a soft animal friend. Emails with testimonials are the best! I love hearing how children interact with their Bugs and what it has done for them or their family. Emails keep me going!

4.) LilyBugs is an iParenting Media award winner, what kind of effect has that had on your business?

The iParentingMedia Award was an exciting accomplishment. I remember telling the person interviewing me about it, that I would drop to the floor if we won, and then we won, and I was so excited. It was the first time, that everyone who had supported me, emotionally, financially, and in every way, really realized this was something special. This was not an ordinary baby product, but maybe something more, something beneficial and that other people recognized that. I was absolutely thrilled to receive not only the ipreanting media award but also Hot new Product, and feel honored to be in the category with other great mom products.

5.) Marketing for a small business is always a challenge, what methods have worked best for you so far?

Marketing is a fun challenge. In the beginning, I tried from the top, calling all the huge companies, magazines, and emailing every editor that I could. At this time, I only had an idea and a prototype. Then I realized, I needed more selection, more background information, more children to try them, and then people would respond. That is exactly what happened. Eventually companies started approaching me, and featuring LilyBugs, and this was so exciting, because I had worked so hard to get attention, that all I really had to do, is develop a reputation, and others would follow. It is wonderful to do an interview, or talk with a parent about LilyBugs or be on tv. It really makes me feel that I am on the right path, and that I didn’t make a mistake starting this business. It is the scariest and most enjoyable thing in the world to go out on your own in this industry. At least I am learning this.

6.) What is a typical “day in the life” of Crystal like?

A day in the life of me. That is a great question, because it can be very hectic at times. I start at about 7am or earlier, getting my daughter ready for daycare, she goes to a wonderful house 4 days a week, because Friday’s are our special day together, and then as soon as she leaves, I start on the computer and that pretty much goes on and off all day. During that, I make phone calls, clean the house (because my office is built to my house), and fill orders. Christmas season has been crazy, because we have two new x-mas designs for the holidays, PawBug (x-mas bear) and SnowBug (snowman), and I have been refilling orders for retail customers across the country as well as adding new businesses to our list of retailers who carry LilyBugs. Last week, I had 10 back orders because stores sold out so fast. That makes me so happy!!!!! Then by 4:00, I am leaving to pick up my daughter, and get home, make dinner, put Lily to bed and finish up my emails and orders for the night, usually ending around 10pm. Some days are very long and tiring, but I enjoy every minute of being a mom and owning this business.

7.) What’s next for LilyBugs?

LilyBugs is expanding. I just finished the patent work for our newest line called “BlankieBugs”.
If you notice that some of our designs, i.e. HamsterBug and PawBug, our newest holiday design have built in holes in each of their ears for children to poke their fingers through and twirl the fabric or rub while drinking or even help them carry their bottle or sippy cup. Well my daughter, who is turning 3 on Tuesday, absolutely loves these little “finger holes”. I have sold out of the HamsterBugs because other kids and parents love this is well. It first started as a design and added feature for the LilyBugs, but we are now expanding to include a special blanket with holes all through them. They will be small blankets, small enough for a child to carry around, and will be based on different shapes, i.e. hearts, stars, diamonds, etc. There’s nothing fun about a square blankets, so we think shapes are great for kids, and they will have a blast moving their little fingers in and out of the soft holes in the blankets, and allow young babies to interact and learn about their fingers while rubbing the soft blankets. The holes will span the entire blanket and are super soft inside and out, and will be fun for a child to carry with them, and play puppet shows or simply interact with other children or learn how to move their fingers through the holes. Have you ever met a toddler who won’t leave the little hole in their sock alone, or the hole in their pant leg, well this blankie will allow toddlers a who range of little holes to poke and play with all in a super soft, texturally stimulating blanket.
I am so excited about this and I think parents and kids will love the simple entertainment it offers kids and allows them to use their imagination!

Please visit www.lilybugs.com to check out all the styles, there are lots of them, and even some new Christmas designs!

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