Mamas & Papas Bug 3-in-1 floor & booster seat review

The Bug 3-in-1 booster seat boasts safety features like expandable stabilising feet which make it super secure when placed on the floor, while the 8 interactive sensory toys provide plenty of entertainment for your baby, allowing you a moment to relax.

When your little one reaches 6-months, the Bug seat can then be used as an alternative to a high chair. Simply strap the seat to a dining chair, remove the sensory toy attachment and let the chaos that is weaning begin!

From 12-months to 3-years-old, you can then remove the padded insert allowing the Bug 3-in-1 to evolve into a toddler booster seat. It is available in 4 colours - Eucalyptus, Pebble Grey, Blossom and Bluebell.

Tested By

Journalist and first-time mum Nicola Agius tested the Mamas & Papas Bug 3-in-1 Floor and Booster Seat with her 6-month-old son Louis for playtime and to kickstart their weaning journey. Nicola tested it in floor mode.

Fellow tester Jess tried the seat with one year old Ada during mealtimes at home and a trip out to brunch with Grandma and Grandad.

What were your first impressions of the Mamas & Papas Bug 3-in-1 Floor & Booster Seat?

When taking the Bug booster seat out of its box, I was relieved to see that there weren’t lots of different pieces that needed putting together. Win! I also loved the seat’s neutral pastel Eucalyptus green colour as it didn’t clash or look out of place in our grey living room.

Fellow tester Jess adds: "The chair felt impressively sturdy and heavy upon unpacking. I was particularly excited by the activity tray as I knew Adelaide would love it. She’s obsessed with a spinning wheel I put on her highchair before mealtimes, but always manages to chuck it on the floor, so the handy suckers means she can play without getting destructive."

How easy is the Bug 3-in-1 Floor & Booster Seat to build?

The Mamas & Papas Bug 3-in-1 Floor & Booster Seat does come with instructions but I think it would be unfair to say I had to “build” it. The seat came in one unit – all I had to do was insert the tray and attach the activity lid. I did have to attach the baby sensory toys to the activity lid myself – but honestly, this only took me all of 60 seconds. Reviews on Amazon also praised how easy the Bug chair is to set up, with 76% of customers on the site leaving the product a five-star review.

How does the Bug 3-in-1 Floor & Booster Seat compare to other baby chairs you have used?

Louis also has the Joie Baby Dreamer Rocker but I don’t think this can be compared to the Bug seat as they serve different purposes (you can see MadeForMums' list of the best baby bouncers and rockers here). I wouldn’t use the Rocker for weaning as it would be a nightmare to clean and Louis doesn’t sit upright in it. The Joie Rocker is for when Louis is relaxing, whereas the Bug seat is for playtime and dinnertime. It’s definitely worth having both products.

Jess adds: "We have also used the Bumbo multi seat, but found that when Ada got to around 10 months she grew out of it (mainly pinching her chunky thighs), which was a real shame considering the cost. The Mamas and Papas Bug Seat is a lot more spacious and with the detachable padding, I can see it lasting her a lot longer. It also felt sturdier and safer than the Bumbo, which we struggled to safely secure to a seat."

How does the Bug 3-in-1 Floor & Booster Seat measure up to previous versions of the chair?

The Bug is very similar to a previous Mamas & Papas model; the Bud 2-in-1 Booster seat, which this year was named the best booster seat for playtime by MadeForMums. Like the Bug, the Bud seat was also designed to grow with your baby from 3-months to 3-years.

However, while the Bud did receive glowing reviews, the Bug booster seat is an improved version of its predecessor.

• The Bug booster seat comes with features that you had to purchase separately for the Bud – such as the activity tray and sensory toys
• The Bug seat is also available in more colours, is bigger and twice the weight of the Bud seat
• It is also more pricey, coming in at £75 compared to the Bud’s £59, but has more accessories included.

See MadeForMums roundup of the best travel highchairs and booster seats

What age is the Mamas & Papas Bug 3-in-1 Floor & Booster Seat for?

The Bug 3-in-1 Floor & Booster Seat is suitable from around 3-months to 3-years-old. As recommended, I started putting Louis in the Bug booster seat as soon as he was strong enough to hold his own head and he seemed comfortable straight away. I’m not sure if it will last Louis until he is 3-years-old as he is a bigger baby – but time will tell.

What is the Mamas & Papas Bug 3-in-1 Floor & Booster Seat designed to be used for?

The Bug 3-in-1 Floor & Booster Seat is designed to be used as a floor chair, feeding seat and toddler booster seat. We have been using it for playtime and weaning – so far, it’s been fantastic. Louis loves the baby sensory toys on the activity tray.

He also seems pretty comfortable when it comes to dinner time. So much so, I haven’t felt the need to invest in a highchair just yet as the Bug seat is doing that job nicely.

How comfortable is the Mamas & Papas Bug 3-in-1 Floor & Booster Seat for your baby to use?

The seat comes with a solid foam-textured padding, which moulds to my son’s body when he sits in it. Although it’s soft enough to ensure Louis is comfortable, the padding also seems sturdy enough to encourage good posture – so it provides a great balance in my opinion. Louis is currently 6-months-old and he fits into the chair perfectly with the padding. Reviews on Mamas & Papas also agreed, commenting that the chair is supportive and fits their baby well.

"However, I think the padding may need to be removed in around 3 months at the rate he’s growing. Once we take the padding out, I’m not sure if he’ll find the Bug booster seat quite as comfortable to sit in as the seat is made from a hard plastic which doesn’t feel anywhere near as comfortable as the cushioned insert.

How useful is the Mamas & Papas Bug 3-in-1 Floor & Booster Seat’s tray?

The tray is fantastic. It’s lightweight and can be removed in 2-seconds using just one hand, which was really handy for cleaning. However, some reviews on Mamas & Papas have pointed out that the tray is so easy to remove, that their child was able to use their feet to press the release button, therefore making it easy for them to kick it off. Perhaps a slight design oversight, but not ideal if the intended use for the Bug 3-in-1 Floor & Booster Seat was for meal times.

When strapped in, how secure was your baby in the Mamas & Papas Bug 3-in-1 Floor & Booster Seat?

The Bug 3-in-1 Floor & Booster Seat comes with an adjustable 3-point safety harness that strapped Louis into the seat securely. Thanks to the seat’s safety stabilising features such as the expandable corner feet and adjustable straps, the chair never wobbled and always felt steady whether it was placed on the floor or sat on a dining chair. This is a view supported by most Mamas & Papas’ customers who praised the seat for being snug, supportive and safe for their babies with its easily adjusted straps.

Jess adds: "The chair is relatively heavy (3kg) so felt nice and sturdy when Adelaide was strapped in. We tried it out both on the floor and strapped to a chair and I felt confident that she was safe. When on the floor she did throw herself in a state of roast-based joy (we’ve all been there…). This did make me wonder if she could potentially topple it over when she’s older and heavier, but at her current weight and age (around 12kg) it felt safe."

How does the Mamas & Papas Bug 3-in-1 Floor & Booster Seat grow with your child?

Mamas & Papas have designed the Bug 3-in-1 Floor & Booster Seat with features to enable the seat to grow with your baby from 3-months to 3-years. For example, the seat comes with a removable crotch post and padded insert that can be taken out as soon as your baby outgrows them. The tray also has 2 positions and can be adjusted depending on your baby’s size. Once the padding is removed, the Bug can be used as a booster seat for the toddler years.

Looking for a highchair? See MadeForMums' 10 of the best highchairs for babies and toddlers

How comfortable is it for older babies and toddlers?

Fellow tester Jess, who tried out the seat with her 1 year old, says: "Adelaide seemed very comfortable in the chair and didn’t arch her back to try and get out (as she had in previous seats). The seat size is generous and made very comfortable by the padding and straps.

"The chair enabled Adelaide to be the absolute star of the show at our Sunday Roast (her first ever proper taste of one!) She merrily played with the activity table while I plated up, and we used a suction plate to stick to the tray to serve her roast. She sat comfortably in it, happily kicking her feet and chomping down on her meal.

"In booster mode, the seat really allows your baby to feel like their part of the meal, and I think encourages them to eat up their food. We used the chair at a local café for brunch and it was super easy to carry in and attach to their chairs."

Does the Mamas & Papas Bug 3-in-1 Floor & Booster Seat feel durable?

Definitely. The seat is very secure so it has never fallen or even slightly wobbled while in use. However, on one occasion, I accidentally dropped the Bug booster seat while carrying it, but fortunately, there were no marks or scratches afterwards. It’s a pretty solid seat, with reviews on Mamas & Papas commenting that it feels really well made and built to last, which is a bonus for those planning on using the seat right up until their child is 3-years-old.

Fellow tester Jess agrees:"Both the chair, attachment and harness felt very durable."

How easy is it to store?

Annoyingly, the Bug 3-in-1 Floor & Booster Seat doesn’t fold away and is quite heavy (3.16kg), so it’s not something you can easily store away in a living room cupboard. However, this is a product you could be using every day – potentially several times a day. As we were using it daily, we decided to just keep the seat out for convenience. We strapped our Bug seat to a dining room chair, which we then tucked under the table, so it was out of the way and it wasn’t a massive problem.

Jess agrees: "It’s quite large, so perhaps not the best for parents with smaller living conditions. We live in a one bed flat, and I’m planning on keeping it attached to a chair in the kitchen for storage purposes."

Is the Mamas & Papas Bug 3-in-1 Floor & Booster Seat easy to clean?

After a weaning session, the Bug seat was often covered in food – fortunately though, the seat unit itself is very easy to clean. The manufacturer advises that the Bug 3-in-1 seat is wipe clean only and I used antibacterial surface wipes on the seat unit and then washed the removable tray in the sink using soapy water. The only difficulty I experienced when it came to cleaning was the 3-point safety harness. As the straps are made out of a fabric material, they stain easily and weren’t easy to clean as they couldn’t be detached from the seat unit. This is a view supported by Amazon customers who also found the straps needed a good scrub making it harder to clean than desired.

How stylish did you find the Mamas & Papas Bug 3-in-1 Floor & Booster Seat?

This chair is compact, stylish and comes in 4 neutral colours meaning you won’t have a baby seat that clashes with your home decor, which is important seeing as it can’t be folded away or stored easily.

What’s in the box?

• 1x Bug 3-in-1 Bug floor and booster seat unit
• 1x Tray
• 1x Attachable activity tray lid
• 8x Sensory toys (which attach to lid)

Are there any additional accessories you can buy?

• Beaba silicone meal set (4 pack) £25
• Beaba silicone bibs (2 pack) £14

Now you’ve tested it, what would you have wanted to know before purchasing the Mamas & Papas Bug 3-in-1 Floor & Booster Seat?

The Bug 3-in-1 Floor & Booster Seat is extremely similar to the Mamas & Papas Bud chair. In all honesty, I probably would have bought the Bud instead of the Bug seat as it is £16 cheaper and the differences between them, notably the play accessories, are a bonus but aren’t exactly game-changers.

Who would the Mamas & Papas Bug 3-in-1 Floor & Booster Seat be most useful for?

This product is a great purchase for parents who haven’t yet invested in a highchair and are about to start the weaning process . It is also a good option for those families who want a chair that doubles up as a feeding station and somewhere for their child to play safely.

Is the Mamas & Papas Bug 3-in-1 Floor & Booster Seat worth the money?

Made by a brand many parents trust, the Bug 3-in-1 chair is a good, high-quality booster and playseat. However, it is more expensive than very similar models on the market (e.g. the Bumbo Baby Seat and the Ingenuity Baby Booster Feeding Seat). Considering how similar it is to the Bud chair, I don’t think it warrants a price tag that is over a quarter more than its predecessor.

Where can I buy the Mamas & Papas Bug 3-in-1 Floor & Booster Seat?

It is available from Mamas & Papas, Boots, Amazon and Baby Planet

MadeForMums verdict:

With my son still snug as a bug and yet to grow bored of the Mamas & Papas Bug 3-in-1 Floor & Booster Seat's sensory toys, I would definitely recommend this product – especially to those parents who are yet to invest in a highchair. If you do already have a highchair, then you’re not going to experience the seat's maximum benefits, so may not be able to justify the price tag.

It’s safe, secure and easy to clean, which is a fantastic bonus for weaning.

Jess was also impressed, saying: "We loved this versatile chair. It’s perfect for strapped-in play, making baby feel part of dinner times and meals out, and most importantly adapts its use as your child grows. I'd highly recommend."