Best Baby Car Mirrors of 2022

Life sure does change when you become a parent. With a baby in tow, even a simple drive to the shops can be a test of one’s focus and response times. Infants in car seats are wriggly, fidgety, and determined to explore so parents must remain aware of their movements. This is a big challenge when you’re in the driving seat and the baby is riding in the back but you can make car rides safer by investing in a baby car mirror.

Do I Really Need a Car Mirror to Keep My Baby Safe?

Installing a car mirror on the top of a backseat is a choice and not a safety obligation. High-quality car seats are designed to limit an infant’s movements so they can’t wriggle free and get into dangerous positions while a parent is focused on driving. However, there are other situations a parent might want to monitor such as spit-ups, pacifier drops, tantrums, and those worryingly quiet periods that send a mother’s anxiety levels soaring.

If you’re particularly worry-prone or your little one just has a knack for getting into trouble, a baby car back seat mirror is an affordable way to keep one eye on their safety.

How to Choose the Best Baby Car Mirror

Here are some things to consider when shopping for a baby car mirror:

• Headrest Position: some less highly rated baby car mirrors attach to the vehicle’s window with suction cups rather than affixing them to a backseat headrest. This design is significantly less safe than one with straps because a baby could grab it and pull it down. Baby car mirrors with headrest positioning are strongly encouraged because babies can’t reach them when they’re installed correctly.
• Strap Attachments: it’s true that the best car mirrors are extensively crash tested and very difficult to smash. However, it’s still important to invest in a product with tight, well-fitting straps and attachment mechanisms you can trust. Even if the car mirror doesn’t break easily, you don’t want it coming loose and falling onto baby. The safest mirrors come with horizontal and vertical straps for maximum security.
• Lightweight Frame: the majority of baby mirrors are relatively plain and come with few bells and whistles to limit their weight. If you do opt for a product with lights, a music player, and/or other accessories, the overall fit and attachment mechanisms become even more important. The heavier the mirror, the tighter it needs to be strapped down. Alternatively, you could choose a plain, lightweight mirror that requires fewer straps to hold it in place.

Best Baby Car Mirrors of 2022

1 – Shynerk Baby Car Mirror

Key Features

• 11.4 x 7.5 x 1.1 inches
• Shatterproof (even in a crash)Wide-angle clear view
• Fully adjustable

The Shynerk Baby Mirror is one of the bestselling mirrors for infant car seats available online today. It’s made from extensively tested shatterproof acrylic and comes with heavy-duty straps to prevent it from moving an inch even during a car accident. The mirror’s extra-wide 360-degree pivot allows for unobstructed views and, as it’s one of the biggest car mirrors on sale, it could even be used to monitor a double car seat and two sets of hands and feet.

2 – Jolly Jumper Driver’s Baby Mirror

Key Features

• 8.8 x 5.5 x 1.0 inches
• Shatterproof acrylic glass
• Adjustable strap system
• Convex mirror for a wide-angle view

The Jolly Jumper Driver’s Baby Mirror is a much smaller baby mirror than the Shynerk but has fewer moving parts and adjustable straps for getting the optimal viewing angle. While the shatterproof finish on the glass reduces the mirror’s clarity somewhat, the product is popular with parents because it’s affordable, really easy to install, and great for smaller vehicles. It’s simple but it gets the job done. Plus, you don’t have to worry about pivoting sockets rattling loose over time.

3 – Munchkin Brica Cruisin’ Baby In-Sight Car Mirror

Key features

• 8.25 x 5.50 inches
• LED light show to entertain baby
• Plays up to 24 mins of music
• Remote controlled

We love the Munchkin Brica In-Sight Car Mirror because it comes with a car seat mirror light show to keep baby entertained on those long car journeys. It’s not just a practical safety accessory, it doubles up as an infant soother that sings and illuminates in vibrant colors. Not only that but the product comes with a remote control so you can switch the entertainment on and off in an instant from the driver’s seat. Its reflective surface is a little on the small side but there are multiple attachment options to ensure the mirror can fit any vehicle.

4 – Travel Bug Baby & Toddler Car Back Seat Mirror

Key Features

• 11.75 x 0.25 x 8.25 inches
• Super wide viewing angle
• 3-strap harness for a secure fit
• Crash-tested shatterproof glass

Sometimes, the best baby mirror is one that does a simple job really well and doesn’t waste viewing space with bells and whistles. The Travel Bug Baby Mirror is one such product. It’s straightforward, sleekly designed, and provides one of the widest viewing angles available without a pivoting socket. We’re particularly fond of the gray fabric lining on this mirror as it helps the device blend in with the vehicle’s interior in a way some other baby mirrors do not.

5 – Lusso Gear Baby Car Mirror

Key Features:

• 11.61 x 7.91 x 3.7 inches
• Comes in three colors
• Pivots in any direction
• Extra-large matte finish mirror

If you’re looking for the best backseat mirror with multi-angle viewing options and angles, consider Lusso Gear’s Baby Car Mirror. It’s one of the pricier products on our list but it’s impeccably designed with a huge mirror, super sturdy straps, and a stylish colored frame. It claims to give parents a complete panoramic view of the backseat while driving and the quickest, simplest way to adjust height and orientation as a child grows and becomes increasingly mobile. And that’s not all; it comes in three colors so you can pick the safest back seat mirror and one that matches your vehicle’s interior.

6 – Zacro Baby Car Mirror

Key Features

• 13.6 x 7.6 x 1.6 inches
• 360-degree adjustability
• Shatterproof acrylic glass
•  Super-wide viewing angle

The Zacro Baby Car Mirror is a budget-friendly option that comes with a double strap mechanism and a crash-tested shatterproof acrylic surface. While it looks like a lot of similar-priced and sized baby mirrors, this one is made from eco-friendly materials. Not only it is fashionably green, but it’s also highly durable, provides driving parents with 360-degrees of viewing angles, and a swivel mount for full adjustability. Plus, its sleek round frame is both stylish and safety-conscious because it has no sharp edges.

FAQs About Baby Car Mirrors

Here are some more things you might want to know about baby car mirrors and their applications:

Q – Isn’t it dangerous to install a mirror so close to a baby? What if it breaks?

A – High-quality baby car mirrors are extensively tested to ensure they will not shatter even during a significant vehicle collision or impact. So you don’t have to worry about an angry little passenger striking out and kicking or throwing objects at the mirror either. A well-made car mirror is completely shatterproof when installed correctly.

Q – When should I start using a car mirror to monitor my baby while driving?

A – There are two types of car mirrors: one designed for monitoring babies and toddlers in rear-facing car seats and one that clips onto the vehicle’s rearview mirror to give the driver a view of the entire backseat. This second type is better suited to older children and can be used right through childhood and into the teenage years. The first type is the best choice for a baby and can be used from birth and through the toddler years. There is no hard and fast rule for when you should start using a car mirror. It depends on how important it is to you to have constant visibility while driving.

Q – Are baby car mirrors hard to install?

A – These baby safety mirrors are easy to install because most come with straps that hook around and/or over the top of a backseat headrest. Some products have a slightly more complex swivel mechanism but all have minimal components to prevent wobbling and rattling while the vehicle is in motion. They can be installed in less than ten minutes and most take around three or four minutes to fit securely.

Conclusion

When looking for the best safety mirror for babies in car seats, focus primarily on the integrity of the attachment mechanisms. These products are designed to be completely shatterproof but a loose strap could still cause the mirror to fall off and onto the baby. However, provided a car seat mirror like the ones featured in our review has been properly fitted, it can be a nifty safety gadget that gives parents a sense of reassurance when out on the road.