The Best Baby Car Mirrors this Year (Tested)

We researched, then purchased the 18 most popular baby car mirrors on the market. Our testing focussed on ease-of-use, stability, durability and visibility. A few mirrors were simpler to install, easier to view and performed better under stress than the others.

18 baby car mirrors we purchased and tested on shelf
Recommended
Editor's Choice
Budget Choice
Recommended
Itomoro Baby Car MirrorBritax Baby Car MirrorLusso Gear Baby MirrorOnco Baby Car MirrorDiono See Me Toofunbliss Baby Car MirrorSmart eLf Baby Car MirrorShynerk Mirror ‎‎‎SH-M-02Rohent Camera Car MirrorShynerk Mirror ‎‎‎SH-M-01Zacro Baby Car MirrorDiono Easy ViewHocany Baby Car MirrorMunchin Brica Cruisin' MirrorShynerk Camera MirrorItomoro Camera MirrorMunchkin Brica 360DARVIQS Baby Car MirrorSkip Hop Baby Car Mirror
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Test Lab Score
93
90
90
89
88
88
88
87
86
86
85
84
84
82
82
80
80
78
65
Bottom LineReliable, adjustable and lightweightClear, durable and easy to install, it's worth the price.Clear reflection and reliableRight-sized, quick install and sturdyConvenient, easily-attachedNice-sized, clear, durableBasic and durable with some scratchingNo frills, sturdy, wide viewing areaCrisp view with suction cup mounted monitorDurable, easy install with some distortionBasic, wide and easy installSmall viewing area, for removable headrests onlyBasic, low cost, with some durability issuesNice music & lights, smaller mirror with unreliable remote controlClear, wide view, easy installWide angle, clear, quick install, fragile monitorNice reflection, lightweight, low scoring on durabilitySimple, adjustable with some distortionFriendly with quality problems
AdvantagesPerformed well in testingQuick install, heavy-duty, clear reflectionNice visibility, quick install, heavy-dutyLightweight, good viewing size, adjustableEasy installation, lightweight, clear viewLow cost, nice size, light, clear reflectionStrong, clear reflection, quick setupDurableMonitor adjustments, clear picture, suction mountedBasic, long-lasting, quick installationQuick install, tight straps, adjustableVery lightweight, easy to adjust angleQuick install, limited scratchingStrong attachment to headrest, fun lights and soundsEasy setup, wide camera viewQuick setup, clear and wide picture with night viewingTight, adjustable, clear reflectionDurable mirror surface11 songs and sounds
DisdvantagesSome viewing distortion Higher cost, heavierWeak clip release, heavierHigher cost, looser mirror jointBlocks windshieldLooser mirror ball jointScratches from dryer testSome distortionLonger setup timeSlight distortionMounting broke in stress testSingle strapBroke in stress test, some distortionRemote control consistency, small mirror, longer install timeScrewdriver for camera adjustment, monitor anchorMonitor not robustBroke in stress testsBroke in stress testLoose, not durable, higher cost




Britax Baby Car Mirror


Test Lab Score 90

Editor's Choice

Sturdy with Wide and Clear Visibility



Installation
97
Stability
96
Visibility
96
Quality
83


Our Editor’s Choice award and top recommendation go to the Britax Baby Car Mirror. It performed best overall in our battery of tests.

The Britax Mirror has very limited installation instructions but it only took about two and a half minutes to unbox and strap onto the headrest in our minivan. The mounting plate has both a vertical and horizontal strap and connects easily to an adjustable headrest. Like the other mirrors we tested, it doesn’t attach securely to a fixed headrest because you are limited to wrapping a single strap horizontally.

Britax baby car mirror mounted
Clear reflection in the Britax baby car mirror

At 11.5″ by 7.5″ this mirror is a common size. It does not have as much distortion around the edges of the mirror as many others. The mirrored surface provided a clear reflection. It is plenty wide enough to be able to see a good portion of the car seat.

It adjusts easily, swiveling on a ball joint. We found that it stayed in place, not moving from its set position, in our vibration testing. However, in our strike testing, as you see below, it did change position. We did not have to re-adjust it in normal driving, even with sudden stops.

Britax baby car mirror strike test
Britax baby car mirror test

Although some people have complained about straps loosening, they stayed tight for us and can be tightened further with a single-handed pull.

The surface had limited scratching and no cracks even after being banged around in the clothes dryer for several minutes.

The mirror looks better made than most of its competitors. The gray trim is slightly softer looking and feeling than the plastic frames of other mirrors.

At 18 ounces, this was one of the heaviest mirrors we tested. We value lighter-weight mirrors because they have less momentum in a crash. However, we didn’t uncover any weakness in the design or parts during our testing. The Britax is tough and rugged.

Pros
  • Quick installation
  • Vertical and horizontal straps
  • Semi-silky strap material easier to slide
  • Limited distortion
  • Top performer in vibration, scratch and sheer tests
  • Manufacturer says it is “crash tested” and shatterproof
Cons
  • Higher priced
  • Heavy (18 ounces)
  • Moved in our strike test
  • Doesn’t work with fixed headrests

Related Reading: Best Baby Car Sunshades



Itomoro Baby Car Mirror


Test Lab Score 93

Recommended

Durable, adjustable, lightweight


Installation
98
Stability
86
Visibility
88
Quality
95


The Itomoro Baby Car Mirror is a low-cost, reliable mirror that performed well in our testing.

It is 11.75″ x 7.5″, similar in size to the Britax mirror. It also has a two-strap system, vertical and horizontal for attachment to an adjustable headrest. It is not recommended for vehicles with fixed headrests.

The Itomoro held its position extremely well in our vibration and strike testing with hardly any motion at all. After the initial adjustment to get the angle right, it stays put unless you really push on it.

The mirror surface also emerged from the dryer with even fewer scratches than the Britax. The mirror has a convex shape with rounding on the edges. There is some distortion of the reflection on the edges but the mirror is large enough that you don’t notice the distortion.

Although there is nothing complicated about installing the Itomoro mirror, it did come with a higher quality user manual than the other mirrors we purchased. The installation took us a little under 3 minutes. It was easy to mount, tighten and adjust.

At 13 ounces, it is lighter than other mirrors of the same size. Despite being lightweight, it survived when we hung 40 lbs of weight on it in our stress testing.

Many baby car seat mirrors on the market seem to be almost identical, and we speculate are made with the same materials and at the same location in China.

7 baby car mirrors on a shelf that seem almost identical
The Itomoro and six other mirrors are strikingly similar.

The copycat mirrors include these brands: Itomoro, Smart eLf, Hocany, Shynerk (SH-M-01, SH-M-02), Zacro, and DARVIQS.

Car seat mirrors from China that are the same

There are minor design differences in some of the mirrors. Most are 15 ounces but a few are 13 to 14 ounces. Some have a slightly different attachment mechanism between the mirror frame and baseplate.

We expected the mirrors to perform exactly the same in our tests. That didn’t happen. A few were much more banged up than others, and some had ball joint come out or the mounting snap, while others like the Itomoro did not.

This could be because variations and inconsistency in the manufacturing process or in inconsistencies in our testing process. But in either case, all of these mirrors are a fairly safe bet. The plastic clips and straps can wear and deteriorate in sunlight over time, but the Itomoro is inexpensive to replace.

Pros
  • Low cost
  • Lightweight
  • Tight mounting
  • Holds it angle
  • Very durable
  • Manufacturer says it is “crash tested” and shatterproof
Cons
  • Distortion on edges of mirror


funbliss Baby Car Mirror


Test Lab Score 88

Budget Choice

Small, lightweight, adjustable


Installation
97
Stability
86
Visibility
96
Quality
83


The funbliss Baby Car Mirror earned our Budget Choice award for its low price point and excellent durability.

It is smaller than the Britax or Itomoro at 10″ x 7″. This is an adequate size to fully see the car seat and baby, and not so small that it requires precise positioning to get the viewing angle right.

It is also very lightweight at only 12 ounces.

This mirror took us less than 2 minutes to unwrap and install in our van. The straps and clips slide and adjust easily. The mounting was easy to tighten to the headrest with a tug on each strap.

The reflection is clear and there is no distortion on the edges of the mirror.

funbliss baby car mirror as seen through vehicle rearview mirror
The funbliss through the rearview mirror.

The funbliss came through testing with few scratches. It held our 40 lb weight without breaking.

In the strike test the mirror did change positions. While the ball joint is relatively tight out of the box, we anticipate that it may become looser over time compared to other mirrors we tested.

funbliss baby car mirror mounted upright

There was no user manual, only a couple of pictures on the box showing how the straps connect.

Pros
  • Low cost
  • Clear reflection
  • No distortion
  • Very durable through stress testing
  • Scratch resistant
Cons
  • Mirror pivot a bit loose


Rohent Camera Car Mirror


Test Lab Score 86

Recommended

Wide angle camera view


Installation
85
Stability
100
Visibility
92
Quality
78


In addition to 15 reflective mirrors, we also evaluated 3 camera and monitor based mirrors. We recommend the Rohent Baby Car Camera because of its excellent picture quality and monitor mounting flexibility.

Camera-based “mirrors” have a digital camera that attaches to the headrest facing baby. The camera is attached to a wire that you thread behind the vehicle seat, across the floor and up to the dashboard of the car.

The Rohent has a suction cup that can stick to the dash or windshield. The Shynerk and Itomoro camera-based systems we tested mounted the monitor to the dash with double-sided adhesive or simply a non-slip pad. We found these mounting methods ineffective and potentially dangerous. Having a baby monitor flying around the vehicle is no better than a baby mirror projectile.

Rohent baby camera for car showing baby in car seat

The downside to camera-based systems is that they can block windshield visibility. The Rohent is no exception but the suction cup makes it easier to move around.

The Rohent monitor held firm in our strike test which is encouraging. We haven’t used it long enough to know whether the suction strength will decrease over time.

The camera attaches with velcro straps to the vehicle headrest. It was challenging to pull the straps through and stretch them enough to get them attached with only two hands. Once attached we weren’t worried about it coming loose.

Getting the whole thing unboxed, the instructions read, and set up in the van took about 20 minutes. It can most easily be powered by the cigarette lighter, but there is also a wiring option to get power from the radio, or fuse box.

The monitor has menu options for adjusting brightness, contrast and color. We liked the wide coverage area of the camera as well as the quality of the night vision picture. The camera didn’t need any adjustment but it swivels up and down. One annoying thing about the camera mount is that you need to loosen it with a Philips screwdriver to change the angle.

Pros
  • Suction mounted monitor
  • Camera and monitor resolution (1920×1080)
  • Wide viewing coverage
  • Clear night vision
Cons
  • Screwdriver for vertical camera adjustment

Why You Can Trust Us

Jeff Hunt father of four and grandfather of four performed the research and testing for this article. Jeff has extensive experience in the baby and kid product arena having tested scores of products from baby blankets to stroller wagons. Becky Hunt CPA, and founder of Experienced Mommy® reviewed and consulted on this work.

We purchased all the products in this review at retail prices and did not receive any incentive or compensation from manufacturers. All recommendations and opinions are our own.

Our research process included reading all of the critical customer reviews of the leading baby car mirrors. We studied safety guidance from the NHTSA and used those findings as part of the criteria for identifying products to evaluate.

Our Video

Are Baby Car Seat Mirrors Safe?

We are not aware of any credible research on the safety of baby car seat mirrors. Nor are we aware of any statistics directly related to accidents involving baby car seat mirrors.

That said, there are many CPST’s who advise clients against the use of such mirrors and have made claims that the mirrors can become projectiles.

It is obvious that each time a driver takes her eyes off the road to look at her baby there is an increased chance of a vehicular accident. This risk of distraction means that parents and caregivers must use baby car mirrors with caution.

Baby car mirrors provide ease of mind about how babies are doing and what they are doing in their rear-facing car seats.

The benefits of monitoring your child need to be weighed against the potential distraction risk to determine whether buying a baby mirror is a wise choice.

How We Tested

Our research shows that the most common complaints about baby car mirrors are related to quality and durability. Inferior design and part quality can influence product safety, so parents are justified in their concerns.

Usability and visibility are also important criteria for the best baby car mirrors.

We tested and ranked each mirror in four categories:

  • Quality (40% weighting)
  • Installation (20% weighting)
  • Stability (20% weighting)
  • Visibility (20% weighting)

We installed every mirror in our van on an adjustable headrest. Although you can make some of these mirrors work on fixed headrests, none of them stay on or stay positioned well.

We tested in bright sunlight and at nighttime. We constructed devices to evaluate product strength and durability under stress.

Product Ratings, Tests and Specs

Recommended
Editor's Choice
Budget Choice
Recommended
Itomoro Baby Car MirrorBritax Baby Car MirrorLusso Gear Baby MirrorOnco Baby Car MirrorDiono See Me Toofunbliss Baby Car MirrorSmart eLf Baby Car MirrorShynerk Mirror ‎‎‎SH-M-02Rohent Camera Car MirrorShynerk Mirror ‎‎‎SH-M-01Zacro Baby Car MirrorDiono Easy ViewHocany Baby Car MirrorMunchin Brica Cruisin' MirrorShynerk Camera MirrorItomoro Camera MirrorMunchkin Brica 360DARVIQS Baby Car MirrorSkip Hop Baby Car Mirror
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Test Lab Score93909089888888878686858484828280807865
Installation
98
97
98
98
95
97
98
88
85
98
98
67
97
61
84
74
95
88
81
Stability
86
96
82
90
90
86
86
90
100
86
86
82
86
96
100
100
86
86
76
Visibility
88
96
96
96
96
96
88
88
92
61
88
86
88
80
88
88
92
68
82
Quality
95
83
88
79
80
83
82
83
78
92
76
94
75
87
68
68
66
73
45
Specifications
Time to Install2:55 2:27 2:10 1:40 2:25 1:52 2:55 3:58 20:50 2:55 2:55 4:00 2:55 4:27 14:40 11:21 3:35 3:58 4:38
Strap Orientationvertical and horizontal vertical and horizontal vertical and horizontal vertical and horizontal clamp vertical and horizontal vertical and horizontal vertical and horizontal vertical and horizontal vertical and horizontal vertical and horizontal single, vertical or horizontal vertical and horizontal main vertical and side straps vertical and horizontal vertical and horizontal vertical and horizontal vertical and horizontal vertical and horizontal
Size11.75" x 7.5" 11.5" x 7.5" 11.5" x 7.5" 9.75" x 7.0" 5.0" x 2.5" 10.0" x 7.0" 11.75" x 7.5" 11.5" x 7.5" 9.0" x 2.0" camera mount 11.5" x 7.5" 11.5" x 7.5" round, 7.5 in diameter 11.75" x 7.5" 8.25" x 5.5" mirror, 13.25" x 11.5" total 2.5" x 3.0" 2.25" x 1.5" 10.75" x 7.75" 11.75" x 7.5" 14.0" x 10.0"
Weight13 oz18 oz16 oz12 oz4 oz12 oz14 oz15 oz4 oz14 oz14 oz7 oz15 oz18 oz4 oz4 oz14 oz15 oz23 oz
Tightness Rating10 10 10 10 9 10 10 9 8 10 10 7 10 5 10 6 10 9 7
Adjustability Rating9 9 9 9 10 9 9 9 8 9 9 8 9 5 7 9 10 9 9
Manual Rating10 5 8 8 8 5 9 8 10 9 9 5 8 8 6 7 8 8 9
Vibration Rating8 9 7 9 9 8 8 9 10 8 8 7 8 9 10 0 8 8 7
Movement Rating9 10 9 9 9 9 9 9 10 9 9 9 9 10 10 0 9 9 8
Clarity Rating8 10 10 10 10 10 8 8 9 8 8 9 8 7 8 8 9 8 7
Direct Sunlight Rating9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9
Strike Rating9 5 9 5 10 5 9 9 9 9 9 10 9 10 6 6 9 9 6
Dryer Rating10 9 9 7 10 9 6 6 9 9 9 10 8 0 5 9 1
Stress Rating10 10 9 10 0 9 10 10 10 3 9 3 10 0 3 3 3
QA Rating9 10 9 8 10 9 7 8 10 9 8 9 7 8 8 8 7 7 6
Show more rows


Value

Car Mirrors range in price from as low as $10 on sale to $60 or more for digital camera systems. The funbliss mirror, our Budget Choice, is at the low end of that scale. Most mirrors can be purchased between $20 and $30.

Baby car mirrors like the Skip Hop and Munchkin Brica Cruisin Mirror that offer songs, sounds and lights are more expensive but don’t work well.

Product Price Performance


Testing Categories

Quality

In this category we measured how likely a mirror is to break, scratch, and move when jolted. We evaluated the quality of the crucial components including clips, ball joints and straps. Here are the scores in the Quality category:

Itomoro Baby Car Mirror
95
Diono Easy View
94
Shynerk Mirror ‎‎‎SH-M-01
92
Lusso Gear Baby Mirror
88
Munchin Brica Cruisin' Mirror
87
Britax Baby Car Mirror
83
funbliss Baby Car Mirror
83
Shynerk Mirror ‎‎‎SH-M-02
83
Smart eLf Baby Car Mirror
82
Onco Baby Car Mirror
79
Zacro Baby Car Mirror
76
Hocany Baby Car Mirror
75
DARVIQS Baby Car Mirror
73
Munchkin Brica 360
66
Skip Hop Baby Car Mirror
45

Note that digital cameras were measured on different criteria and are not included in the table above.

Weight

If installed and maintained correctly, baby car mirrors should not come loose from the vehicle headrest and become a projectile hazard. However, heavier mirrors have more momentum and require a stronger support system. Our ranking system slightly favors lighter mirrors.

Diono Easy View
7 oz
Onco Baby Car Mirror
12 oz
funbliss Baby Car Mirror
12 oz
Itomoro Baby Car Mirror
13 oz
Munchkin Brica 360
14 oz
Zacro Baby Car Mirror
14 oz
Smart eLf Baby Car Mirror
14 oz
Shynerk Mirror ‎‎‎SH-M-01
14 oz
Shynerk Mirror ‎‎‎SH-M-02
15 oz
DARVIQS Baby Car Mirror
15 oz
Hocany Baby Car Mirror
15 oz
Lusso Gear Baby Mirror
16 oz
Britax Baby Car Mirror
18 oz
Munchin Brica Cruisin' Mirror
18 oz
Skip Hop Baby Car Mirror
23 oz

Diono easy view baby mirror mounted in van

The Diono Easy View is only 7 ounces and 7.5 inches in diameter.

baby car mirror on gram scale
We weighed each mirror.

Shatter and Scratch Rating

We threw all the mirrors in a clothes dryer for several minutes to rough them up.

Putting baby car mirrors in a clothes dryer to test for scratching and breaking.
I know, it’s a little over the top.

A few didn’t do so well:

mirrors that cracked or broke after going through the clothes dryer
The Skip Hop, top left, had major breakage. The Smart eLf, top right, Brica 360, bottom right, cracked. The Onco, bottom left, had major scrapes. Incidentally, all of the mirrors in the image above are advertised with the claim of being shatterproof or shatter-resistant.

And some had very few scratches:

Diono easy view and itomoro baby car mirrors unscathed after scratch test.
The Diono Easy view, left, and Itomoro, right, were mostly unscathed after the dryer test.

Here are the dryer test ratings:

Hocany Baby Car Mirror
10
Itomoro Baby Car Mirror
10
Britax Baby Car Mirror
9
Lusso Gear Baby Mirror
9
funbliss Baby Car Mirror
9
Shynerk Mirror ‎‎‎SH-M-01
9
Zacro Baby Car Mirror
9
Diono Easy View
9
DARVIQS Baby Car Mirror
9
Munchin Brica Cruisin' Mirror
8
Onco Baby Car Mirror
7
Smart eLf Baby Car Mirror
6
Shynerk Mirror ‎‎‎SH-M-02
6
Munchkin Brica 360
5
Skip Hop Baby Car Mirror
1

Crash-Tested and Shatterproof

Many of the mirrors we purchased are advertised as crash-tested and shatterproof. Munchkin uses the phrase shatter-resistant, which is probably more accurate given the results of our dryer test.

Strike Rating

We simulated a sudden acceleration and stop to evaluate how well mirrors hold their positions.

No mirrors came loose. Most didn’t even rotate any significant amount, though a few dropped like the Britax, funbliss and Onco.

funbliss undergoing sudden acceleration and stop on track
funbliss mirror rotation
Diono Easy View
10
Munchin Brica Cruisin' Mirror
10
Itomoro Baby Car Mirror
9
Lusso Gear Baby Mirror
9
Smart eLf Baby Car Mirror
9
Shynerk Mirror ‎‎‎SH-M-02
9
Shynerk Mirror ‎‎‎SH-M-01
9
Zacro Baby Car Mirror
9
Hocany Baby Car Mirror
9
Munchkin Brica 360
9
DARVIQS Baby Car Mirror
9
Skip Hop Baby Car Mirror
6
Britax Baby Car Mirror
5
Onco Baby Car Mirror
5
funbliss Baby Car Mirror
5

Digital cameras are small and lightweight so there is not much risk of having them come loose and cause damage or injury. However, the monitors are slightly larger and heavier.

This Itomoro monitor attached by the provided double-sided adhesive pad, flew off in our first test. We pressed it on tighter and it stayed on the next two tests.

shows the itomoro digital monitor in acceleration deceleration test flying off of its mount
Itomoro monitor wasn’t attached firmly enough

Stress Rating

Mirrors can have a hard life in a car full of kids. They are pulled on and hung on and bumped. We tested the ball joint and mount strength of each mirror by hanging 42 pounds of weight on them.

Here’s what happened to the Hocany:

HOCANY baby mirror snapped with 42 pounds hanging from it.
The mounting of the Hocany baby mirror snapped under load.

Stress ratings:

Itomoro Baby Car Mirror
10
Britax Baby Car Mirror
10
Onco Baby Car Mirror
10
Smart eLf Baby Car Mirror
10
Shynerk Mirror ‎‎‎SH-M-02
10
Shynerk Mirror ‎‎‎SH-M-01
10
Munchin Brica Cruisin' Mirror
10
Lusso Gear Baby Mirror
9
funbliss Baby Car Mirror
9
Diono Easy View
9
Zacro Baby Car Mirror
3
Hocany Baby Car Mirror
3
Munchkin Brica 360
3
DARVIQS Baby Car Mirror
3
Skip Hop Baby Car Mirror
3

The Munchkin Brica 360 and Zacro balls came out of their sockets. The Hocany, DARVIQS and Skip Hop had pieces of the mounting break off or bend and give way.

Installation

In the installation category we looked at how long it took to install each mirror, quality of the instructions, tightness of the straps, ease of adjustability and the usability of the clips and straps.

Here are the overall scores for installation:

Itomoro Baby Car Mirror
98
Smart eLf Baby Car Mirror
98
Zacro Baby Car Mirror
98
Shynerk Mirror ‎‎‎SH-M-01
98
Lusso Gear Baby Mirror
98
Onco Baby Car Mirror
98
funbliss Baby Car Mirror
97
Britax Baby Car Mirror
97
Hocany Baby Car Mirror
97
Diono See Me Too
95
Munchkin Brica 360
95
Shynerk Mirror ‎‎‎SH-M-02
88
DARVIQS Baby Car Mirror
88
Rohent Camera Car Mirror
85
Shynerk Camera Mirror
84
Skip Hop Baby Car Mirror
81
Itomoro Camera Mirror
74
Diono Easy View
67
Munchin Brica Cruisin' Mirror
61

Most mirrors have a vertical and a horizontal strap. The vertical strap gets threaded beneath the headrest and over the top. The horizontal strap goes around the middle and they both clip in the back.

Vertical and horizontal straps behind an adjustable headrest
Most typical strap configuration.

We found the mirrors with smoother, silkier straps were easier to tighten than those with straps made with a coarser weave. As examples, the Lusso, Brica 360 and Shynerk SH-M-01 had smooth straps, and the Onco, Skip Hop and DARVIQ had coarse straps, while Britax was somewhere in between.

Skip Hop and Lusso straps side by side showing the finer weave of the Lusso strap
Skip Hop coarse weave, left, Lusso fine weave, right.

Strap Tightness

We had no problem getting most of the mirrors tightly strapped to the headrest. This was true both in the vehicle and on our testing stand.

Installation Time

All the regular mirrors could be installed in less than 5 minutes and most took under 3 minutes. The video cameras ranged from 11 to 21 minutes.

Stability

It is a hassle to have to adjust the angle of your baby mirror frequently. In this category we looked at how prone mirrors were to move during bumping and vibration.

Rohent Camera Car Mirror
100
Itomoro Camera Mirror
100
Shynerk Camera Mirror
100
Munchin Brica Cruisin' Mirror
96
Britax Baby Car Mirror
96
Onco Baby Car Mirror
90
Diono See Me Too
90
Shynerk Mirror ‎‎‎SH-M-02
90
Itomoro Baby Car Mirror
86
DARVIQS Baby Car Mirror
86
Munchkin Brica 360
86
Shynerk Mirror ‎‎‎SH-M-01
86
Hocany Baby Car Mirror
86
Zacro Baby Car Mirror
86
Smart eLf Baby Car Mirror
86
funbliss Baby Car Mirror
86
Diono Easy View
82
Lusso Gear Baby Mirror
82
Skip Hop Baby Car Mirror
76

All the mirrors move if you pull on them or bump into them with too much force. This is difficult to avoid when you are taking your baby in and out of a rear-facing car seat, and when you have older children climbing in the car.

However, car mirror manufacturers know this, and most mirrors are built with very tight ball joints to keep the mirrors in place.

We mounted the mirrors on a vibration platform with much more substantial movement than a normal vehicle. None of the mirrors experienced much position change even in this exaggerated vibration environment.

A baby car mirror on a vibration test machine
Baby mirror vibration testing

Visibility

Our final assessment category is visibility. This is about how much of the baby and car seat we could see and how clearly we could see them.

Size

The smallest mirror is the Diono Easy View which is round and 7.5 inches wide. The widest are the “look-alike” mirrors including the Itomoro, HOCANY, DARVIQ, Shynerks, Smart eLf, and Zacro at 11.5″ x 7.5″.

Itomoro, Britax, funbliss, Diono baby car mirrors laying side by side to show size comparison
Left to right Itomoro, Britax, funbliss, Diono mirrors, biggest to smallest.

Size is mostly a matter of preference. However, here are a few considerations:

  • Smaller mirrors need to be aimed more accurately
  • Smaller mirrors are less likely to block the view of the rear of the vehicle
  • Larger mirrors may get bumped more often
  • Some larger mirrors (like the look-alike list above) have more distortion around the edges

Digital camera mirrors are of course tiny but have a wide-angle picture.

Clarity

Obviously, you buy a baby car mirror to be able to see baby. All the mirrors we purchased did that job pretty well.

Lusso Gear Baby Mirror
10
Onco Baby Car Mirror
10
Diono See Me Too
10
funbliss Baby Car Mirror
10
Britax Baby Car Mirror
10
Munchkin Brica 360
9
Rohent Camera Car Mirror
9
Diono Easy View
9
Itomoro Baby Car Mirror
8
Shynerk Camera Mirror
8
DARVIQS Baby Car Mirror
8
Itomoro Camera Mirror
8
Shynerk Mirror ‎‎‎SH-M-01
8
Hocany Baby Car Mirror
8
Zacro Baby Car Mirror
8
Shynerk Mirror ‎‎‎SH-M-02
8
Smart eLf Baby Car Mirror
8
Munchin Brica Cruisin' Mirror
7
Skip Hop Baby Car Mirror
7

The look-alike mirrors (Itomoro, HOCANY, DARVIQ, Shynerks, Smart eLf, and Zacro) have a convex shape, meaning they bulge out in the front and recede at the edges. This provides a wider viewing area that extends to both sides of the car seat. These mirrors have some distortion in the image near the edge of the mirrors.

The Britax and several others don’t have that distortion even though they are somewhat convex as well.

Skip Hop mirror with smiley face marks on the face of the mirror.
Skip Hop mirror. Smiley face markings get in the way.

We didn’t see much difference in the quality of reflection across different mirrors aside from the distortion mentioned above. As we mentioned in the Quality section, some mirrors cracked and scratched more easily.

Bright Sunlight

Many people complain about not being able to see through their mirrors with bright sunlight shining through the windows. Although we tested with sunlight, it didn’t have any effect for us.

DARVIQ baby car mirror in van with sliding door open
DARVIQ baby car mirror

Both of our vehicles have tinted windows to some degree which probably solved the problem. We will be testing sunshades soon, which are a good solution for sun protection and mirror quality.

Mirrors for Forward-Facing Children

Baby car mirrors are most often purchased in order to see babies in their rear-facing car seats. You can’t see a child in a rear-facing seat from your vehicle’s rearview mirror.

In order to have a better view of what is going on in the back seats, Diono’s See Me Too mirror attaches to the rear-view mirror. This mirror can show you kids in forward-facing seats.

Diono see me too mirror attached to vehicle's rear-view mirror showing a kid in a forward facing car seat in the reflection
Diono See Me Too mirror attaches to rear-view mirror

This mirror is high-quality and easy to use and install. It does block the view through the windshield.


Kid Travel Editorial Team