Best Baby Mirrors for Cars: I See You

Top 8 Baby Car Mirrors

Snicker at this topic if you must, but since we’re no longer allowed to let youngsters roll around in the cargo area of a station wagon like a sack of potatoes, the available number of safety items available for parents to buy has multiplied exponentially. Infants are now strapped into rear-facing car seats that essentially become part of the car’s structure when properly installed.

Hey, beats falling out of the front-end loader bucket back in the ’80s – a very specific example brought to you by Rural Personal Experience™.

Rear-facing seats make it difficult to see the kid. Mirrors like these are designed to strap onto a backseat headrest, allowing the ‘rents to peer at a reflection of their offspring while glancing astern in the rearview mirror. This means, technically, one is looking at a reflection of a reflection. It all gets a bit Inception after a while.

Despite a too-funny brand name that puts your author in mind of someone named Nick who doesn't want to have their photo taken, this product is surely one of the highest and most frequently rated items of its kind on Amazon. Nearly 23,000 souls have reviewed the thing, making for a 4.8 out of 5-star rating.

Like most others on this list, it is mounted to a rear seat headrest via a couple of stout straps. It's adjustable 360 degrees for optimal placement or - and parent can attest to this - in case Junior accidentally gives the thing a boot with his outstretched leg. The seller asserts this mirror has been safety-certified and crash tested.

This mirror with an incomprehensible title is one of the few that are available in a variety of colors, including the natty woodgrain shown here that mimics fake dashboard wood from the ‘80s. Hey, any child’s product that evokes memories of a Ford Crown Victoria Country Squire station wagon is alright with us.

This convex mirror is almost square in shape, measuring 8.75 inches by 8.25 inches. The mounting straps are said to be strong enough not to wiggle around, though that would be put to the test on the dirt roads around your author’s childhood hometown. An integrated ball joint on the anterior side provides plenty of adjustment options.

The bizarre brand names continue apace, with this mirror from a company that seems to have simply mashed a brace of positive-sounding words together to create a marque. Like others on this list, the mirror is connected to a pivoting headrest attachment so parents can simply strap it to a surface.

Its maker declares they have designed their mirror with a shatter-proof acrylic glass surface, a product of ongoing research and practical experience. It is said to “withstand any impact at any time”, an assertion that will surely be seen as a challenge by the majority of kids in the world.

Here’s an option that doesn’t fall totally into the traditional baby mirror category. As simply a wide-angle rearview mirror, it won’t help you see the face of yer kid who’s snoozing in a rear-facing car seat. What it will do, however, is provide a much better view astern. It clamps over the car’s stock rearview mirror using independent spring connectors.

Pair this mirror with one of the others on this list, especially if you have two children of age to be in rear-facing seats (you have our never-ending condolences if you do). If nothing else, it provides parents with the ability to see who’s throwing what at who during a road trip.

If you're intent on making the kid feel as if they are in a marine environment or simply putting them on a path to dressing in steampunk when they get older, this round mirror might just do the trick. In a sea of square and rectangular options, it certainly stands out.

Like others, it is made from acrylic safety glass and is surrounded by a black plastic frame. It is designed to mount to a headrest but instead of doing so with a pair of straight straps, an x-shaped web with a couple of buckle clips are used. This one's crash tested and adjustable in multiple directions, too.

As this is the year 2020, you just knew we’d be throwing in at least one option that includes a power-operated feature. This mirror has adjustable mode LED lights to help with seeing your kid in the dark. As you’d expect from this decade, the lights are operated by remote control. A pair of sun visors also make their way into the package.

The lights turn off automatically to save on batteries, handy because you’re going to need them for that new and annoying toy auntie gave to Junior for Christmas. The batteries are of the traditional type, which is to say old-school lead acid, so be sure to remove them if you’re not going to turn the lights on for a while.

Just in case you don't have enough things mounted to your car's dashboard or windshield yet - automatic dash cam, radar detector (naughty, naughty), GPS unit - we present this mirror option that sticks to a surface with a suction cup. The seller says it installs in 'less than a minute' which is likely true but, for the love of everything, please don't put this in your forward line of sight.

With that obvious caveat covered, we will note that this mirror will be kept far out of Junior's reach. That's not a bad thing for anyone who's experienced the sudden and devastating effects of an unexplained infant tantrum. As a bonus, we suppose this type of mirror can be used for wide-angle viewing of anything in the aft section of your vehicle.

We left this one for last because it's a depressing commentary on the need for youngsters to be glued to a phone these days. There is something to be said for keeping young minds active with moving colors but kids quickly learn to rely on these things and express their displeasure when they're removed. Use sparingly.

However, it's nice to have the option. The whole thing mounts to a rear seat headrest and has a holder below it for mounting a smartphone. A built-in battery bank would be a nice addition. The mechanism that holds the mirror is said to be reinforced to avoid shaking while the car is in motion.

Baby Mirror FAQs

Is there much of a difference with all these?

Perhaps more than you think, especially with the ones that mount up front with suction cups. Rectangle mirrors may offer more viewing area of the kiddos, allowing the driver to steal a quick glance without having to crane their neck. It also must be said that infants and toddlers tend to move around, even when lashed to a car seat, so a big mirror won't go astray.

When will car makers offer this from the factory?

Probably never - but anything's possible. After all, they were quick to latch onto the concept of providing a flip-down convex mirror so those in the front row can easily see the shenanigans going on in the Way Back. Same goes for the voice amplifiers that can be found in some modern minivans and SUVs. It'll probably cost more than it's worth to develop a flip-down mirror of this style. Best to suck it up and spend $20 of your own money.

But I won't need this when the kid grows up.

No, you won't. Redeploy it as an extra mirror in the washroom. Put it over the laundry tub sink in your garage so you can spot the grease on your face before heading in for supper. Give it to another new parent; they'll need all the help they can get.

Anything else?

Be careful out there, especially with kids on board.

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(Editor’s note: This post is meant to both help you be an informed shopper for automotive products but also to pay for our ‘90s sedan shopping habits operating expenses. Some of you don’t find these posts fun, but they help pay for Junkyard Finds, Rare Rides, Piston Slaps, and whatever else. Thanks for reading.)

[Product images provided by the manufacturer.]