Everyone with a baby car seat mirror needs to see this shocking video
It's time to double check that you installed yours correctly
It's time to double check that you installed yours correctly
It's time to double check that you installed yours correctly
Searching for a car seat for your child can take forever. You want to find one that's the right size for your car and your kid, then make sure it's and fits your budget.
Something you might not put as much thought into: the accessories that go with it. Despite all of the other precautions she took, one Texas mom says a mirror she bought for her child's car seat almost started a fire — and she has a to prove it.
Amanda DeAngelis claims that when she took her daughter Mila out of her Britax car seat on January 23, she smelled smoke. After further investigation, DeAngelis started filming what she says is the car seat smoking because the baby mirror (purchased from Eddie Bauer) was reflecting sunlight onto the fabric. "Thank God I made a two second stop and found this before something happened," she says .
DeAngelis shared the footage, which now has over 9 million views, plus two additional photos to warn other parents about what could happen with their baby's backseat mirrors. “Never did it occur to me it would reflect and happen so quickly,” she wrote.
There were mixed reactions by commenters, with some arguing that DeAngelis shouldn't ever have set up a mirror facing her baby for this exact reason. In a statement to Redbook, Goldbug, the manufacturer of the mirror, says that DeAngelis just installed hers incorrectly.
According to Goldbug, "Our mirrored product is impact resistant and provides parents with the peace of mind that comes with being able to easily and frequently monitor children in rear facing car seats. In our experience, the likelihood of an experience similar to that of Ms. DeAngelis is extremely low. As with all reflective materials care must be taken to avoid direct alignment with intense sunlight."
Goldbug also provided the warning it attaches to its products, which tells buyers to "Be aware of reflected sunlight and bright lights on children's eyes" and to "Please keep product out of direct sunlight for long periods of time."
When Redbook reached out to Britax to ask why the car seat started smoking, this is the statement they provided:
“Direct sunlight reflecting off shiny objects in a car can be dangerous. The federal government requires all car seats and the interior of vehicles to meet flame retardant standards. In this incident the flame retardants in the car seat did their job.
As always, parents and caregivers should exercise caution when using any after-market car seat accessories, including back seat mirrors. All back seat mirrors should be installed correctly, securely attached and mounted to the vehicle head restraint. Incorrect installation can result in injury if the mirror becomes a projectile in a crash.”
In response to some of her more vocal critics, DeAngelis wrote an update to her original post. "I'm not placing blame or trying to start arguments … just trying to make others informed that this is a possibility," she wrote. "Do with this information what you will — just don't judge!"
(h/t )