Mirror question

atw

New member

• Sep 14, 2012

• #1

Usually see here that it's a projectile concern. What about rebound concern for rear facers? I never thought of this before...

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jacqui276

New member

• Sep 14, 2012

• #2

Most of them are shatter resistant and have some sort of soft edge, although I would imagine that it would still feel worse smacking face first into a mirror than the back of the seat.

All 3 of DS's car seats have anti-rebound though so even though the thought of this crossed my mind, it doesn't really apply in our situation.

 

NannyMom

Well-known member

• Sep 14, 2012

• #3

It is a rebound concern in my book.

 

luckyclov

New member

• Sep 14, 2012

• #4

It is a rebound concern for me. I do use a rf mirror, but use a seat with ARB control, so it's less of a concern in my personal situation.

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NannyMom

Well-known member

• Sep 14, 2012

• #5

I just want to point out that a member here was in a crash. Her DS was rf in a Swedish seat so it had a foot prop and tether. She also had a rf mirror. DS had a huge bump on his head and the mirror was on the floor.

 

K

krystin_21a

New member

• Sep 14, 2012

• #6

I have and still occasionally, use a mirror. The one I have didn't feel any harder then the headrest it was attached to. I do use Blvds for my two rearfacers that are thethered so not much of a concern, I guess.

 

jacqui276

New member

• Sep 15, 2012

• #7

NannyMom said:

I just want to point out that a member here was in a crash. Her DS was rf in a Swedish seat so it had a foot prop and tether. She also had a rf mirror. DS had a huge bump on his head and the mirror was on the floor.

Click to expand...

How was the mirror secured to the car? Unless the force is enough to shatter the plastic clips holding mine in place, I can't see it going anywhere. It is pretty tightly secured around my head rest.
Then again, the vehicle seat can do a fair share of damage as well. My last accident resulted in both DH and I having concussions and a big bump on our heads from how hard we smacked the back of our head against the head rest. My mirror stayed in place though and didn't hit DS. He didn't have a bump or scratch on him.

 

ketchupqueen

CPST and ketchup snob

Staff member

• Sep 15, 2012

• #8

I consider it both a projectile and rebound concern. Those clips and straps are not necessarily crash-worthy. It's also a distraction risk. However, if a parent decides the benefits are greater than the risks, there are mirrors flexible and soft and lightweight enough I'd not be worried about the damage they could do. (The only one I've seen that I personally find soft and light enough for my paranoia is the Eddie Bauer Baby View Mirror. I know others may exist but I haven't personally tried them.)

 

atw

New member

• Sep 16, 2012

• #9

I love my mirrors. My kids used to not eat in the car, but we went lax on that, so I really really like it for that. Also to see if they fall asleep. One of ours isn't too bad, the other is atrociously hard. I'll have to think about this....

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tiggercat

New member

• Sep 16, 2012

• #10

I feel they are a projectile concern, a rebound concern and a distraction concern. Unless the child has special needs and no one is able to sit in the back to watch them, I feel they add unnecessary risk. I discussed risks of mirrors with a whole bunch of parents at the clinic this morning, only one took down their mirror. Lots removed other aftermarket products, including seat protectors and window blinds. (I did have good luck in the ERF front though, several toddlers 5x safer tonight!)
The mirrors with plastic clips are still as weak as the seams in the fabric. Unless the clasp and webbing directly attach to the mirror itself. I wouldn't want to get smacked in the head with one of those things!
I guess part of me just doesn't get it, my kids have all managed somehow without them and I try to ignore what is going on back there as much as possible, lol. I have no desire to actually see them!

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S

sparkyd

Active member

• Sep 16, 2012

• #11

I'm with tiggercat on this one. Try smacking yourself in the head with one of those mirrors and then imagine how much harder it would hit in an actual collision. All the ones I've done this with (yes, I have hit myself in the forehead with these things, just to see) were dang hard. I tell parents at clinics that haven't actually used one yet to just not start. You get hooked on having it there if you do it initially, but if you never have it in the first place then it makes absolutely no difference. If you really need to see what is going on, you pull over. This is coming from someone that did use one with DS1 before I knew any better (after seeing that a friend had one and feeling like a bad parent because I didn't have one). After becoming a tech I forced myself to give it up (it was a hard habit to break). Never had one with DS2 and didn't miss it.

 

atw

New member

• Sep 16, 2012

• #12

I didn't have one for 2.5 years! Now I am addicted...I'm not the only one. dD will have a fit. Sigh. No doubt you don't need one-I can see if you have an unbuckler. Otherwise, i have them bc The kids enjoy them-they've gotten us through separation anxiety. Not trying to be argumentative, just saying I do love them, and if you don't get it, there are some reasons. An article actually flipped me out re the choking thing. They probably don't outweigh concerns for me.

I don't think a glance in the rear view to check on kids is any different than a glance in the rvm in general, or at the thermostat, or gas gauge though... I don't hold eye contact while talking to them or really anything like that. Again, really depends on how distracted you allow yourself to be.

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H

henrietta

Well-known member

• Sep 16, 2012

• #13

They aren't my favorite, but even now as a tech, if I had an infant, I'd consider using the softest one I could find. I do agree they are a risk-projectile, distraction, etc. But I have had friends who want their 1 yr olds ff'ing, "so they can see them". I'd rather they use the softest mirror they can find and rearface, esp if they have a rearfacing tether or antirebound bar on their seat, than forward face a one year old. But I wouldn't *recommend* to someone who isn't concerned.

 

thepote

New member

• Sep 17, 2012

• #14

I'm one of those paranoid parents that has to be able to see my child. Silence to me could mean choking on something she has picked up, etc. I just would not RF as long as I do if I didn't have a mirror. It's too much anxiety for me.

I used to have hard mirrors, but I switched to soft, flexible mirrors. The tradeoff is that DD looks like she's distorted like in a carnival mirror, but at least I can see her expressions and when she falls asleep, etc.

FWIW, she's in a Radian with a RF tether.

 

ketchupqueen

CPST and ketchup snob

Staff member

• Sep 17, 2012

• #15

I eventually used one to keep a rear-facer happy an extra year, so she could see the DVDs. She didn't mind the distortion- because yeah, I'd only use the soft flexible one. It was positioned so it couldn't distract the driver, in our case, so that was one less risk.