3rd Trimester
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Carseat in the middle seat - mirror?
We installed our car seat base this weekend and decided we wanted it in the middle as we were able to install it easily and correctly (based on the indicator being in the "green" zone) and we feel it is safer. Only issue - there is no headrest in the middle so is there any way to attach a mirror to be able to see the baby from the front while driving?
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Re: Carseat in the middle seat - mirror?
They tell you in the safety classes not to have one of those mirrors b/c it can fly off in an accident and hurt the baby (or you).
Also, the safest place for the carseat is where your car manual says to put it. We thought we wanted ours in the middle but our car only had LATCH hooks located on the side seats. So we have our carseat in the back behind the passenger seat. It also makes it easier for getting baby in and out of the car, otherwise we'd have to crawl in the car to put her in the middle. Just my two cents.
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Here are a few options I just found. Not sure how any of them work, but they all seem to work without having a backseat headrest (3 or 4 options on how to secure them:
https://www.topoftheline.com/lighted-auto-baby-mirror.html
https://www.onestepahead.com/catalog/product.jsp?productId=534504&cm_ven=Froogle&cm_cat=NA&cm_pla=NA&cm_ite=14050
https://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/product.asp?order_num=-1&SKU=14844961
This one can attach to a side backseat headrest:
https://www.amazon.com/Sunshine-Kids-Easy-View-Mirror/dp/B000BUTCOO/ref=pd_sim_ba_2https://www.amazon.com/Sunshine-Kids-Easy-View-Mirror/dp/B000BUTCOO/ref=pd_sim_ba_2
With the conversation about safety..
My dad always tells this story about my older brother making this sound like he was choking in the back seat, my mom was driving, and her instinct was to make sure he was still able to breathe, so she turned around to check him, and they almost went off the road. While I certainly judge her and think it was a stupid move on her part, I've never been in that situation.
I don't think any of us know how we'd react in a similar situation, but I think having a mirror to make sure everything is alright w/o having to turn around is the safer option in this situation.
just an FYI, but LATCH doesn't make it safer. LATCH is supposed to be easier to use than the seat beat, but not safer. So the middle with the seat belt is much safer than LATCH on the side. We have an SUV and even though I have to crawl in there to get my son it's worth it.
Diddo the safety info about the mirror. They're not recommended b/c they can become a projectile object that injures baby.
The safest place is in the middle whether latch or the seat belt is used. The car could be hit from either side and this puts baby as far away from direct impact as possible. Of course with more than one child you can't put them both there!
I agree. I think its incredibly unsafe to turn around to check on your baby. The risks of you getting into any serious enough wreck where the mirror will detach and become a risk of flying into your baby are--to me--far less than the risks resulting when I have to turn around to check on the baby while I'm driving.
Same thing with the infant head supports, for example. It is far riskier, in my opinion, to have your baby's head flopping around for weeks on end, than whatever "risk" there is in having that padding in there in the incredibly unlikely event you get into a serious wreck.
I understand the concerns, but I also think that the "safety" opinion on these sorts of things is very often one-sided and forgets the practical purposes for those products.
This.