Car seat advice

Tabnabs

So junior is home with us two weeks now and has been driven a few times in dad's car. But since he will only occasionally be in my car we will put him in the back so I don't need to get air-bags disconnected for the front seat passenger.

Therefore the car seat is facing backwards and he has the wonderful view of the seat in front of him. This also means that we cannot see him, so I went looking for a mirror suitable for hanging/sticking to enable the driver to see his little angelic sleeping face (because of course he never cries...).

I came across this product and noticed that the kid here is in the centre of the car. We had him at the side behind the passenger seat, are there any pros/cons of one location over the other? Anyone else used these mirrors and are they worth it?

bladespin

Bought one of those mirrors a couple of weeks ago, it can be hard to see but you get used to it, it's good to be able to see what's going on.

Not sure about placing the seat in the middle, we always had it behind the drivers seat.

leisurelady

Hi,

I bought one of them for when my second child arrives and I plan to put her carseat behind the drivers seat and the mirror on the centre seat, as that is the way it looks on the box but have not tried it so open for feedback.

Hope this is a good product as cannot turn off airbags in front of car so this is the only option for us.

Leisurelady.

IsThatSo?

Re mirror, that looks a bit awkward. I got a mirror in Murphys in Rathcoole, its a Panda Bear and its tummy is a mirror and it hangs over the headrest on the seat that your childs rearfacing carseat is strapped into. Its €40, a good bit more expensive than the one linked earlier, though!! The child loves looking at herself lol, and I can easily see in my rearview mirror.

For convenience and ease of access it makes sense for baby seat to be one of the outside door seats, but from a safetly point of view I don't think it matters.

damoz

OP - i have that mirror - €14.95 - works well.

FYI - i was told by a car safety guy that the best place for the car seat (assuming you just have 1) is behind the passanger seat. That way you can see and access it in an emergency. Also statistically the safer side of the car.

Acoshla

Hi,

I don't know much about the positioning of the seat, but I don't see why there would be too much of a problem other than it might be slightly easier to see the reflection if it's directly behind you.

As someone else mentioned you can get a "teddy bear" with a mirror on its belly, the one I've linked to below has a few teddy options, gives the baby something cute to look at other than their own adorable reflection

http://www.littledreamers.ie/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=118_129&products_id=936&zenid=da0683edbd411ce356495ffdf5027a85

cavs23

We have one of those mirrors, works fine with baby behind passanger seat its a good product. I used it for both of mine and my sister used it for her baby. Congratulations on new arrival

Kernel32

damoz wrote: »

OP - i have that mirror - €14.95 - works well.

FYI - i was told by a car safety guy that the best place for the car seat (assuming you just have 1) is behind the passanger seat. That way you can see and access it in an emergency. Also statistically the safer side of the car.

I was always told the middle and all the research I ever did said the middle.

http://children.webmd.com/news/20080507/safest-spot-for-babys-car-seat

loyatemu

Kernel32 wrote: »

I was always told the middle and all the research I ever did said the middle.

http://children.webmd.com/news/20080507/safest-spot-for-babys-car-seat

I hadn't heard that before.

Main problems with putting them in the middle are that its more awkward to strap the seat in and the kid into the seat. Also most smaller cars do not have a proper middle seat, even if they do have a seatbelt there, so it can be difficult to get a proper fit for the childseat. I haven't come across any car that has Isofix for the middle rear seat either (even people carriers).

BTW - even if you can disable the front passenger airbag, its still significantly safer to have the child in the back.

gibo_ie

I have this mirror and it is great. baby seat is behind passenger seat. So if you park, that side should always be at the kerb/footpath side! I wouldn't put seat in middle as A) it is too difficult to get baby in and out of and nothing in front of them to protect them from flying objects etc... or if seat came loose in accident it could fly forward...

Anyway my DS is 7 months old and now smiles away at the mirror as he can see me in the front through it!
Also RE Facing the seat, we got this: http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/FROG-KICK-AND-MIRROR-CAR-SEAT-ACTIVITY-MAT-&-MIRROR-_W0QQitemZ180360820374QQcmdZViewItemQQimsxZ20090525?IMSfp=TL090525143002r12715
Which you hang up on the seat and when baby kicks the "feet" the fish swim around in the aquarium, didnt take him long to figure out the whole risk vs reward theory.
Both Cheap and cheerful!
Good luck
M

Moonbeam

Most cars have no iso fix points in the middle making it impossible to put the car in there.
Ours is in the left rear and we have the mirror up,she is safe.