Baby Roundtable: LilyBugs® Make Bottles Friendly

Plush Character Renders Sippy Cups "Huggable"

By A. Antonow
December 2007

JoJo (2) hugged the Lilybugs and held her bottle more when the cover was on it.

TDmonthly Magazine’s Baby Roundtable participants evaluated the LilyBugs Plush Cup Holder made by LilyBugs®. One little girl was quite taken with her plush doggie bottle cover and hugged her bottle affectionately when the Lilybugs was placed on it. Though three of the moms agreed that the Lilybugs were well made, they felt the product wasn't in synch with their particular parenting styles.

Participating in this month’s Roundtable were: Rebecca Heinrich with Collin (3); Christy Chambers with Nigel (3); Diana del Pozo with JoJo (2); and Sharri Hefner with Sydney (1). All live in Southern California.

LilyBugs from LilyBugs®
Age: 0 to 5
Gender: Boys and Girls
Category: Infant & Toddler
MSRP: $10.00

TDmonthly rating:

What It Is: A plush cover for sippy cups and bottles, this product promises to entertain a child while providing a tactile surface to aid the child in learning to hold drinks.

What the Moms Thought
Diana said her daughter JoJo found the packaging cute and exciting, since the Lilybugs is packaged in a little purse. She also appreciated that the cover was soft, washable and easy to clean. She gave the product 4 out of 5 stars. Sharri commented favorably on the Lilybugs' durable construction and thought it was a cute idea. Most of the Southern Californian moms felt that their toddlers did not need help learning to hold their sippy cups. Rebecca suspected that Collin (3) might have used the product as a toy when he was younger.

What the Kids Said
Even though the Lilybugs cover looks like a toy, JoJo (2) seemed to understand that it had a purpose, so she didn't play with it, "though she did hug it and hold her bottle more," commented mom Diana.

Collin (3) had fun guessing what the Lilybugs might be, first speculating that it was a puppet. Nigel (3) laughed when his mom placed the cup holder on his cup — but both boys later lost interest. Although Sydney (1) liked the cup holder packaging, she refused to use the product, as she could already use a sippy cup without assistance.

How to Improve It
Diana thought the manufacturers might want to add a holder piece for the top of the bottle and a clip so that children could keep the cup holder with them. She also pointed out that the holders can be marketed as water bottle covers for older kids. Christy found that when the elastic does not fit perfectly over the bottom edge, the cup topples.

Would You Buy Another Toy Like This?
"Yes," said Diana. "I would like a more girly one" for JoJo, who really enjoyed the Lilybugs.