This post has been updated to include Britax's response to the controversy.
Many parents take car seat safety extremely seriously and spend time researching the "best" product for their little one. They also stress about ensuring that the selected seat is properly installed, and many even opt to buy a mirror to allow them to check in on baby from the front seat just to see that everything is okay. However, despite all of this being done to ensure a baby's safety, one Texas mom learned these popular car accessories can actually be what causes serious harm — and she took a surprising video of her baby's car seat smoking to warn other parents.
Amanda DeAngelis was shocked when she peered into her rearview mirror and saw smoke coming from her baby's car seat.
The grateful mom shared on Facebook that sometimes when she gets home and her daughter is sound asleep in the car seat, she'll sit and read emails or respond to texts for a few minutes instead of potentially waking Mila up. "Thank God I was rushing home," she wrote on Facebook. "I've use car seats with mirrors with all my kids – never have I experienced this! Scary!"
She even took a video of the Britax car seat burning because of the Eddie Bauer mirror.
DeAngelis shared the shocking video of her car seat smoking to warn other parents who have backseat mirrors in their cars. "Britax corporate responded to me immediately (within 20 minutes)," she wrote. "I’ve called Eddie Bauer (the mirror manufacturer) daily and left messages with the situation. They have not responded. I will keep trying them."
More from CafeMom: The 1 Car Seat Rule That Not All Safety-Conscious Parents Know
Many were grateful to DeAngelis and are warning everyone they know who uses car seat mirrors.
However, others were quick to blame her for the problem: incorrect placement.
Many mommy-shamers didn't hold back on slamming her for not understanding "basic science." One wrote, "It's not really the manufacturer's fault. This is user error. The mirror is supposed to be attached to the seat [in front of it] and pointing downward."
But others wondered why the car seat started burning, since it's supposed to be flame retardant in the event of a crash.
Parents would never expect their child's car seat to be able to catch on fire so easily, even if the cause of the smoke is "5th grade science."
These mirrors also bring up another safety concern for parents: Are they safe to have, period?
Even if they are installed "correctly," some warn that anything on the headrest can be dangerous in a car crash.
Instead of slamming this mom, let's appreciate the heads-up and warn friends who might not be aware.
UPDATE: On January 31, 2018, Britax released a statement to CafeMom:
"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."
