The first two or three years of your child’s life will be rear-facing in a car seat, so you will want the best rear seat mirror you can find. These can help keep the baby entertained, but most importantly, they help you keep an eye on your kiddo, even though they are facing the back of the vehicle. Check out all the best mirrors that I found in my research.
Best Baby Car Mirror
While the So Peep Baby Car Mirror and the Darviqs Baby Mirrorare made from high quality, shatterproof glass for baby’s safety; the Shynerk Car Mirror and the COZY GREENS Mirror also boast of high quality, shatterproof glass but have also put their mirrors through crash testing for the highest safety standards.
Shynerk Baby Car Mirror
The Shynerk Baby Car Mirror is a shatterproof baby mirror that can be adjusted 360° with the ball-and-socket pivot.
360° Adjustability
Like many baby car mirrors, this mirror comes with a strap system to attach to the headrest. Once put into place, the ball-and-socket pivot makes it possible to adjust the baby mirror however you need without readjusting the straps. You can turn the mirror either horizontally or vertically to fit your needs. Convenient!
Shatterproof
No worries about this mirror frame shattering in a possible collision because features shatterproof and scratch-resistant. This mirror has also been crash-tested.
Easy Attachment
This car mirror comes fully assembled so all you need to do is attach it to your headrest with the straps. Double straps help to hold this mirror firmly to the headrest so that it doesn’t slide around.
Technical Details
- Weight: 1.1 pounds
- Packaging dimensions: 13.5 x 8 x 1.5 inches
- Mirror dimensions: 11.4 x 7.5 x 1.2 inches
- Headrest needed?: Yes
So Peep Backseat Mirror
The So Peep Backseat Mirror has the ease of use and good mirror quality that you’d want in a baby car seat mirror, so it’s our top pick.
Easy Installation
The So Peep website boasts that you can install the mirror in 30 seconds or less. Unlike other backseat mirrors that come with somewhat complex instructions and sometimes require assembly, the So Peep mirror frame is quick and easy to install with no assembly required.
As previously mentioned, this rear seat mirror has a double-strap securing system. The strap system fastens with plastic clips. Tighten the straps both horizontally and vertically around your headrest. Then, adjust the angle of the mirror so that you can safely see your baby while driving.
Shatterproof Mirror
The mirror features shatterproof acrylic glass. This ensures that, even if the mirror does somehow come unsecured and fall, it won’t break and cut anyone. Also, speaking as a total klutz, this is good news to know that I won’t have to worry about breaking the mirror before it is even installed in my car.
Large View
Because the mirror is extra-large and convex, it offers the best view possible of your child. This feature is incredibly important, almost as important as secure installation, in my opinion.
The whole point of having this mirror frame is so that you can quickly check in on your child while you’re driving. What use is a small, distorted mirror that leaves you wondering, “What the heck is going on back there?”
When you look in the mirror to check on your child, you need to have immediate answers. You should be able to clearly see your child and the area inside the car seat. The last thing you want to be doing while you’re driving down the highway is guessing whether your child is safe because you can’t completely see what’s happening in the mirror.
100% Lifetime Satisfaction Guarantee
So Peep is so sure that you will fall in love with their rear seat mirror, the mirror comes with a 100% Lifetime Satisfaction Guarantee. If, at any point in time and for any reason, you are not completely satisfied with your purchase, return it to So Peep. You will be refunded.
Bonus!
With your purchase of a So Peep rear seat mirror, you get a free e-book! Enjoy “Baby’s First Foods” as a complimentary gift from the folks at So Peep.
Technical Details
- Weight: 15.2 ounces
- Packaging dimensions: 11.7 x 9.2 x 3.7 inches
- Mirror dimensions: 11.5 x 7.5 inches (or 295 mm x 195mm)
- Headrest needed?: Yes
Jolly Jumper Driver’s Baby Mirror
The most inexpensive baby car mirror option is the Jolly Jumper Driver’s Baby Mirror. A wide vertical strap is used to secure the baby mirror to the headrest at the right angle.
Given its budget-friendly price, it’s obvious this won’t be the best quality baby mirror but it’s good for what it costs. It is shatter-resistant and still gives you a picture of your child which are the most important features. Pair it with Jolly Jumper’s other accessories like cling shade or car organizer.
Technical Details
- Weight: 6.4 ounces
- Product dimensions: 8.75 x 5.5 x 1 inches
- Headrest needed?: Yes
Cozy Greens Shatterproof Baby Car Mirror
The Cozy Greens Shatterproof Baby Car Mirror is 360° adjustable baby mirror that offers an extra-large viewing mirror at 11.5″ wide!
360° Adjustable Viewing
This Cozy Greens baby mirror comes with a strap system that attaches to a headrest like many mirrors. Unlike some though, this mirror is able to be adjusted with the ball joint that was recently upgraded just this year. This is a convenient feature that will save minutes of irritation by easily adjusting the mirror without having to adjust the straps.
Each Purchase Helps Children
A benefit of purchasing this baby mirror is Cozy Greens’ willingness to generously donate 5% of their profits to underprivileged children. The USA foundation is called ChildsLife and I think it’s great that Cozy Greens, a family-owned business, is helping children in this way!
Passed Crash-testing
This Cozy Greens baby mirror went through some serious safety testing (which we obviously love). Per their own product description, this is the only baby mirror on the market that has passed a crash test at 45mph. That’s awesome!
Lifetime Factory Warranty
Who doesn’t love a lifetime warranty? Cozy Greens offers to replace or refund for free if you are not completely happy with your purchase.
Technical Details
- Weight: 1 pound
- Packaging dimensions: 9.9 x 8 x 3.2 inches
- Mirror dimensions: 11.5 x 7.5 inches
- Headrest needed?: Yes
DARVIQS Baby Car Mirror
The DARVIQS Baby Car Mirror is a top-seller and priced very reasonably, making it attractive to a multitude of moms and dads. At 7.4 x 11.8 inches, you’ll get a wide and clear view of your child from the driver’s seat.
Completely Adjustable
After securing this baby car mirror with the double straps (one vertical and one horizontal), you can then easily adjust the angle of the mirror up to 180° and rotate it 360°. This allows you to get the perfect angle without having to adjust the double straps around the headrest. This baby car mirror is said to fit practically all vehicle headrests.
Shatterproof Acrylic Glass
The DARVIQS mirror is designed with shatterproof acrylic glass, which is higher quality than the traditional shatterproof glass that most baby mirrors are designed with. It also has been safety tested and crash tested for your child’s safety. With double straps, the mirror can be secured to the headrest well to keep everything in place.
Technical Details
- Weight: 1.26 pounds
- Package dimensions: 13.78 x 7.68 x 1.69 inches
- Product dimensions: 11.8 x 7.4 x 1.1 inches
- Headrest needed?: Yes
Lusso Gear Baby Mirror for Car
The Lusso Gear Baby Mirror for Car allows you to adjust the baby mirror without adjusting the straps!
Adjustable Mirror
Many standard baby mirrors require you to adjust the mirror by adjusting the straps. If you’ve owned one of these mirrors before, you know that it can be quite a pain to get the mirror just at the right angle. With the Lusso Gear Baby Mirror, you attach it to the seat’s headrest with two straps — one horizontal and one verticle.
Once you’ve placed the straps in the right place and tightened them securely, you can then adjust the mirror to whatever position you need it. This is such a huge perk and allows you to readjust the mirror whenever you need to without ever having to adjust the straps.
Wide Extra Large 11.5″ Mirror
Enjoy an 11.5-inch wide mirror to see your baby easily and clearly. It’s 9.49 inches wide, providing a large surface area of mirror and a greater chance of you seeing your little one, no matter how they are positioned.
Of course, the baby mirror is made of shatterproof and high-quality materials for your little one’s safety.
Technical Details
- Weight: 1.3 pounds
- Packaging dimensions: Not available
- Mirror dimensions: 11.61 x 9.49 x 3.7 inches
- Headrest needed?: Yes
Best Baby Car Mirror – No Headrest
Pikibu 180-Degree Baby Car Mirror
Check out the Pikibu 180-Degree View High Definition Clarity Baby Car Mirror if you want a way to see your whole back seat and you have forward facers that need monitoring.
Full View
A lot of these kinds of car mirrors go near your existing rearview mirror to help you see baby. I personally don’t like that, because it blocks your view out of the windshield and it also doesn’t help you see the whole back seat. This mirror is like a super-sized version of your existing rearview mirror. You just place it over your rearview mirror and poof! You can see nearly everything in the back seat!
If you like this idea, but still need to see a rear-facing baby in the back, then you can totally use this in conjunction with a headrest mirror. I have 3 kids in 3 different stages of the car seat, so this way worked really, really well for me to monitor all the monkeys in the car.
Secure
This mirror features springs that secure onto your existing mirror. You don’t have to worry about double-sided tape or bent suction cups that just don’t’ work. It goes on and stays on. Some people complain that very high temps (100°F and up) can compromise the glue used to hold the mirror to the sprung backing, but many others state that it holds up just fine to sunny weather if you have it installed right.
One thing that’s not so good- this mirror is made from real-life glass. Breakable glass. It’s not a big deal unless you drop it just right or slam it with something. Like automobile glass, it could break in the case of an accident, and the shards flying around become a big concern. But for everyday use, it’s just fine and out of the way.
Technical Details
- Weight: 7.4 ounces
- Packaging dimensions: 0.5 x 10.5 x 3.8 inches
- Headrest needed?: No
Best Baby Car Mirror with Light
These choices are very similar in cost yet different in features. The Shynerk Car Mirror with Camera attaches a camera to your car’s headrest and a monitor to your dash to easily see what the baby is doing, even offering night vision. Meanwhile the BenBat Oly Active Car Mirror is both a safety mirror for your observation, but provides entertainment for your fussy or bored little traveler.
Shynerk Baby Car Mirror with Camera
Take your baby mirror to the next level with the Shynerk Baby Car Mirror with Camera! This 5-star product attaches a camera to the chair’s headrest and places a monitor on your dash for optimal viewing!
Camera and Monitor Combo
The majority of baby car mirrors attach to a chair’s headrest and allow you to see your little one by looking in your rearview mirror. Depending on the precise angle of the baby mirror, you may or may not see a full picture of your baby. With this car mirror, you’ll get a clear view every time!
Simply attach the camera to the headrest, just as you would a regular mirror. Double straps (one horizontal and one vertical) allow you to attach the camera securely. Then, place the monitor on the dash for the best viewing angle. Once you plug the power cord into the cigarette lighter, the monitor will automatically turn on and stream live video from the camera in the backseat. When not in use, you can push the monitor down to close.
Safe and Practical
Unlike other baby car mirrors, you won’t be straining to look behind you or adjusting your rearview mirror to see your little one. With the monitor safely sitting on the dashboard ahead of you, you can easily and safely look at the screen to make sure baby is okay.
This is also handy for the passenger to view baby too without having to look back. Even at night, the night vision function allows you to view your child easily.
Technical Details
- Weight: 1.27 pounds
- Packaging dimensions: 7.6 x 5 x 3.98 inches
- Monitor size: 4.3 inches
- Headrest needed?: Yes
BenBat Oly Active Baby Car Mirror
The BenBat Oly Active Baby Car Mirror is not only a car mirror with a light but it helps entertain your little one for long drives!
Electronic Features
No one likes to hear a baby or toddler crying on a long drive. Instead of trying to reach back and entertain your little one from the front seat, this car mirror does it for you! The mirror features wobbly ears, blinking eyes, and plays a few different songs. In addition, there are some white noise options if your baby likes to sleep to white noise or a similar sound like ocean waves when you travel.
This mirror does require 3 AA batteries. Did we mention you can control all of this with a handy remote?
Optional Mirror Tabs
This car mirror attaches to the headrest with a strap system for a secure fit but it also includes optional tabs on the back for a better fit. Each tab (two total) helps place the mirror at the exact angle you want it.
Remote Features
We mentioned some of these in “Electronic Features” above but wanted to explain a little more. With the remote, you can not only start/stop songs, white noise, etc., but you can adjust the volume, which is always convenient! The only downfall of the remote is that it requires a CR2 battery, which is not a type of battery most of us just have laying around.
Technical Details
- Weight: 1.41 lbs
- Product dimensions: 10.08 x 3.15 x 12.6 inches
- Headrest needed?: Yes
Brica Firefly Baby-In-Sight Car Mirror
Most of us think that the baby car seat mirrors are for parents. But what if the Brica Firefly Baby-In-Sight Car Mirror could be for your child, too?
Fun Design
This soft-edged mirror comes with all the lights, patterns, and colors that a baby could want. It has 4 different happy songs and 4 different soothing songs. All feature a coordinating light show with LED colored lights. The lights are located in/behind the actual mirror and below the mirror and inside the cute little firefly. It can do its fun little show for up to 12 minutes in each mode, which is plenty of time to drive to the grocery store.
You can turn all of this on or off with the remote that clips to your visor. The remote controls whether it plays happy songs, sleepy songs, and how loud it is. Plus, it has an auto shut-off after the 12-minute mode runs out to help conserve battery life. That’s nice, considering that your child will come to depend on this as their source of car entertainment when you travel and it will consequentially become a total battery hog (needs 3 AA batteries).
Tested Safe
Many mirrors say they are safe, but this one can prove it. It was crash-tested for safety in 2017 by Calspan, an independent testing company. It won’t shatter and hurt your child. It also has Clear-Sight, which means that it is guaranteed to give you an accurate reflection with no distortions. No funhouse baby mirrors here!
The manufacturer states that there are a few different ways to attach this to your car. It can definitely be attached to an existing headrest. If not, you can buy a tether latch extender from Munchkin directly and clip this mirror to the LATCH anchor. In most cases, you can get this to work in your car, headrests or not.
Technical Details
- Weight: 1.65 pounds
- Packaging dimensions: 14 x 2.5 x 12.5 inches
- Mirror dimensions: 12.25 x 13.75 inches
- Headrest needed?: Yes
The Best Baby Car Mirrors Compared
The table below compares only the recommended products on this page. A low or high Price means it is low or high compared to the other products listed. The Popularity Score reflects how often readers click on and buy the product. The Quality Score is our assessment of the overall performance and satisfaction with the product compared to others in the table.
| Brica Firefly Baby-In-Sight Car Mirror | 7.1 | 9.0 | 40.45 |
| Shynerk Baby Car Mirror with Camera | 9.9 | 9.6 | 35.99 |
| Pikibu 180-Degree Baby Car Mirror | 7.9 | 9.6 | 34.99 |
| BenBat Oly Active Baby Car Mirror | 8.0 | 8.6 | 34.95 |
| Cozy Greens Shatterproof Baby Car Mirror | 8.8 | 9.2 | 24.97 |
| Lusso Gear Baby Mirror for Car | 9.6 | 9.6 | 24.95 |
| So Peep Backseat Mirror | 3.9 | 9.6 | 22.99 |
| Shynerk Baby Car Mirror | 9.9 | 9.6 | 20.59 |
| DARVIQS Baby Car Mirror | 9.8 | 9.0 | 14.99 |
| Jolly Jumper Driver's Baby Mirror | 8.2 | 8.6 | 7.49 |
Before You Shop: Headrests
Before you even begin shopping for a backseat mirror, you need to look at your backseat. Chances are, you don’t spend much time back there.
Pop quiz: Do you have headrests on your backseats?
There are No Headrests
If you don’t have headrests in your backseat, that means that you’re not going to be able to use a mirror that tethers to your headrest. Instead, you need a backseat mirror that attaches via suction cup to either your back or side window.
There Are Headrests
If you do have headrests, even if they are not adjustable or separate from the seat, many popular backseat mirrors will work for you. This makes shopping for a baby backseat mirror both easier and more difficult. Many manufacturers have adopted the double-strap fastening system and have mirrors on a swiveling arm. Unfortunately, this means that there are hundreds of backseat mirrors for you to choose from.
Be aware, though, if you do have a backseat where the headrest is one piece with the chair; you need to exercise caution when deciding on your backseat mirror. For example, the So Peep backseat mirror should work because the mirror is on an arm that can pivot and swivel in the base. This allows you to fasten the securing straps in an “X” instead of a cross pattern.
Not all backseat mirrors are made this way, though. Any mirrors that do not have an arm for pivoting and moving will not be able to rotate sideways. The inability to move means that you will have questionable functionality.
The mirror may or may not provide you a view of your child. Likewise, it’s also a possibility that the mirror may not stay secured to the seat.
If you have a backseat with adjustable headrests, you have it easy (aside from the large number of products you have to choose from). Even if you have a backseat with a headrest on either side and none in the middle, the So Peep backseat mirror is still an ideal choice for you. Because the arm attached to the mirror swivels, you can secure the mirror on a neighboring headrest and angle the mirror for the perfect view of your child.
Remember, if your backseat has headrests on the right and left side, but not in the center where your child’s seat is, don’t worry. You can attach your backseat mirror on a neighboring headrest and simply angle the mirror so you can see your child.
How to Choose the Best Baby Car Mirror
Since there are hundreds of backseat mirrors to choose from, I want to explain why I choose the best baby car mirrors on the list.
First, I should let you know that I had a bad experience with backseat mirrors with my first child. This bad experience helped guide me to make the decision today about the best backseat mirror currently available.
Like all new mothers, I registered for a heap of items without really knowing what I was wanting or needing. One such item was a backseat mirror. Since I mainly registered at Target and the backseat mirror selection in my store was limited, I registered for an Eddie Bauer model.
When I got the mirror, I was horrified by how ridiculously terrible it was. First of all, it was literally impossible to install the mirror and angle it to face my baby. Second, once I removed the protective film, I was disgusted to find a “mirror” with about as much quality as a small baby toy. Truly, it was horrible. I believe Fun Houses mirrors would have worked better.
Because of this bad experience, I wanted to make sure that I selected backseat mirrors that gave parents an appropriate reflection of their child. And, since the times have changed, so have my standards. Today, I have brought you only the best of the best. These mirrors are crystal clear, easy to install, easy to adjust, shatterproof, and overall a great product.
FAQs – Baby Car Mirrors
Are baby car mirrors safe?
This is a big and very important question. Baby mirrors are fine until you are in a bad accident, in which case they have the potential to become a projectile and a sharp one at that. The last thing any of us parents want is a breakable mirror flying at our baby’s head in an accident. But this could happen. While there’s no research on this subject to date, some experts have concluded that while it’s unlikely that a car mirror will detach and have enough force and weight to hurt your baby significantly, it technically is a possibility. Just make sure your baby car seat mirror is shatterproof, has soft edges, and is always fully and tightly attached, and you should be just fine.
Another safety issue that has come up is the ability of the mirror to reflect concentrated sunlight and start a fire in the car. Hey, it actually happened to one mom! As a best safety practice, keep the mirror out of direct sunlight and you won’t have any problems. Can’t keep it out of sunlight on a road trip or in a parking lot? Cover it temporarily.
How are baby car mirrors tested? Who tests them?
This is the best question I found. You read all these details about how it’s guaranteed not to shatter or break, but how do they know? The answer depends on the company. For example, So Peep has had their “car mirror tested for ‘Use and Abuse’ by an industry-leading US-Based Safety Testing Facility. Many other brands, including So Peep, have also had a Material Safety Test conducted. Various baby mirror testing can include: Drop Testing from various heights, Tension Testing under various tensions, and a comprehensive Material Safety Analysis.
How much of the back seat can a baby mirror cover?
If the mirror were mounted on the center headrest, would the parent be able to see kids on both sides of the car’s backseat? For most of the mirrors on this list, the short answer is no, the mirror is not made to be used in that capacity.
If you want to see multiple children, it would be best to have two mirrors positioned so you could see your children from your seat. Or you can buy a special baby rearview mirror that goes on your car’s windshield and allows you to view the whole back seat. But know that this kind of mirror works best if you either A) have forward-facing car seats, or, B) you use it in conjunction with some backseat baby mirrors.
Which car baby mirror is the largest? Which is the smallest?
Size matters when it comes to baby mirrors. A larger mirror equals better coverage of your child’s face.
The unofficial size for most baby mirrors is about 11.5 inches by 7.5 inches. The Shynerk, So Peep, Cozy Greens, and DARVIQS mirrors are all the same size, within a half inch for both dimensions.
The Lusso mirror is slightly larger, with an additional 2 inches of height. The Ben Bat Oly is also larger in height, but is roughly 1.4 inches shorter than the standard 11.5 inches wide.
The Brica Firefly is the largest baby car mirror on our list, at 12.25 x 13.75 inches. This mirror gives the most coverage of your rear-facing child.
On the opposite end of the spectrum, the Jolly Jumper baby mirror is 8.75 x 5.5 inches, so it is several inches shorter and skinnier than the other mirrors listed.
Is the mirror image clear?
An important thing to consider is the quality of the view. Sometimes, backseat mirrors have a very distorted view. The child can look like they are really far away or, in some cases, they can look blurry. Obviously, this is unacceptable for a safety device! Look for a mirror with repeated reviews that say that the view seems to be true to life and very crystal clear. All the mirrors on our list reportedly have very crystal clear mirror images.
How do you use a baby mirror?
A baby mirror should allow you to see your baby’s face when you are driving. The mirror is positioned, for a rear-facing back-seat baby…
- on the rear windshield, rear passenger window, or rear passenger headrest
- such that it reflects the image of your baby
- and such that it can be seen in your rearview mirror.
- For a forward-facing baby or babies, your baby mirror will be fixed on or near your rearview mirror.
What’s the safest place in the car for a car seat?
A back seat is safest, the more central to the car, the better.
How do you attach a baby car mirror?
Methods of attachment vary from clips to springs to suction cups to straps to clamps. A mirror may be attached to the rear windshield, rear passenger window, rear passenger headrest, or near or on your rearview mirror.
Each mirror is different, so you need to know whether you need a mirror for a front-facing or rear-facing baby and, if rear-facing, do your back seats have headrests (and, if so, are they adjustable) before you decide on a mirror.
Do I need a baby mirror for my car?
Probably not. Opinions on the advisability of baby mirrors. But it might be nice to have one, especially for your back-seat, rear-facing baby. Choose one that is soft, shatterproof/unbreakable, and very securely attachable. (Attachment depends upon whether you have back seat headrests, whether the headrests are adjustable, and other factors.)
The most important question: will you, as driver, be more distracted by the presence of the mirror so that you can look at your baby or less?
