My take on the contentious use of baby car mirrors
Baby car mirrors have been in existence or for a dozen years now but in countless forums are endlessly arguing for and against their use. It is always important to draw a line whenever there is a contention. This post will argue for the use of baby car mirrors.
The baby car mirror is not the only potential projectile
There are so many items that can become projectiles in the car such diaper bags, sippy cups, toys, groceries, makeup and the list is endless. Unlike the baby mirror that is securely strapped, these items are all unrestrained and can become missiles in the event of a crash even though some of them have lower centers of gravity. I hang my diaper bag on the front seat headrest and there is always the tendency of someone going on to insert a non-empty water or beverage bottle into a side pocket. You can imagine what a projectile this would make in a crash.
Better/effective fastening
Baby car mirrors of yesteryears were made of glass and it was attached to the car interior with a safety pin or Velcro. The mirror would come off flying at the slightest provocation such as your car going bonk on a barrier. But not anymore. Nowadays a mirror worth your time should have strong straps for fastening to the seat headrest, whether back or front. Your baby might be in a rear facing seat at the backs seat yet your car doesn’t have a headrest back there. What you need is a mirror that attaches either to the rear windscreen through a suction cup or the sun visor through a clip. Confirm from the manufacturer or the product details whether the suction cup can withstand your area’s weather condition. This ensures that the mirror sticks in position whether it is hot or cold and won’t fly off at whatever magnitude of impact.
They are now made of unbreakable acrylic plastic
A modern mirror should also be made of unbreakable acrylic plastic. The material is actually more reflective than glass and well, it can’t shatter into fragments at the worst case of breaking free of its trapping and flying off.
Monitoring your backseat
Finally, with a baby mirror, you get the chance to monitor what is going on back there with just a quick glance. You kid might have had his arm trapped somewhere, sleeping in an awkward position thus straining, in need of diaper change, and so on. From the experiences people have had with babies at the back seat-bashed heads and missiles in form of unrestrained toys and improperly restrained car seats, the cost-benefit ratio is in favor of installing a crash tested baby mirror.
Enjoy this short video supporting the importance of back seat baby mirror
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