Bringing Baby Home: Your First Car Ride Checklist (Seat, Mirror and Shade)

The drive home from the hospital is the one trip you can't reschedule, and the one you'll be least rested for. The good news is that almost everything that makes it easier can be done before the baby arrives, in a driveway, with nobody crying. This is a short checklist for the back seat: the car seat first, then the mirror and the window shade.

Checkpoint 1: The Car Seat, Before the Birth

Install the car seat well ahead of your due date, rear-facing, following its manual. The back seat is the right place for it, and the manual is the authority on angle and tightness. NHTSA also lists car seat inspection stations where a certified technician will check your installation, which is worth doing now rather than in the hospital car park. Not sure which stage your baby needs? Try the free car seat stage calculator.

Do this one first, because the mirror goes around the seat. Once the seat is in, you know which headrest your baby will face.

Checkpoint 2: The Mirror, the Day Before

A rear-facing baby sits behind you looking at the back of the seat, so you can't see their face without turning around. A Leo&Ella baby car mirror on the headrest in front of them puts that face in your rearview mirror. It arrives fully assembled, needs no tools, and which one you fit depends on your headrest:

• Adjustable mirrors (Large and Medium) fit adjustable headrests with two exposed posts, and install in under 30 seconds with straps and buckles.
• The Tesla & Fixed Headrest mirror fits fixed headrests like most Teslas, and adjustable ones too. Its continuous elastic loop goes on in under 10 seconds, with no straps or Velcro.

Both are convex, shatterproof ABS acrylic. Not sure which headrest you have? Read Adjustable vs. Tesla & Fixed Headrest.

Then do the one test that matters: sit in the driver's seat with the engine off, glance at your rearview mirror and tilt the baby mirror until a baby-sized spot on the car seat is in view. The guide to where to put a baby car mirror shows how to aim it. A newborn is small, so recheck once the baby is actually in the seat.

Checkpoint 2, Part Two: The Shade

Press a Leo&Ella window sunshade onto the glass beside the car seat. It is a mesh with static cling, so there is no assembly, and each pack holds two shades, one for each rear side window. They block sun glare, heat and most UV rays, and they are 19" x 12" each.

If you don't have one yet, every Leo&Ella baby car mirror ordered on leoella.com includes a free car window sunshade 2-pack, one for each mirror in the order, while supplies last. It may ship separately from the mirror, so order early enough for both to arrive before the due date.

Pickup Day: Keep It Simple

On the day, the back seat should already be done, so all that's left is the drive.

1. Baby buckled in the way the car seat's manual describes.
2. One glance at the mirror to see your baby's face, then eyes back on the road.
3. Drive smoothly, with extra room to brake.
4. Pull over somewhere safe if the baby needs anything more than a glance.

Optional: A Live View

Some parents prefer a screen to a reflection, especially for night drives. The Camio camera monitor has a 5-inch screen and a 1080p camera with infrared night vision. It is wired, with no Wi-Fi or batteries, and takes about 5 minutes to install, so fit it with everything else. For help choosing, read Baby Car Mirror vs. Camera Monitor.

The Short Version

Install the car seat first and have it checked. Fit the mirror and shade the day before, then test the view from the driver's seat. On pickup day, glance, don't stare. For a longer drive, the road trip checklist covers the rest.