Two Rear-Facing Car Seats? How to Set Up Baby Mirrors for Twins and Siblings

A baby car mirror hangs from the headrest of the seat your baby's car seat is installed on, and it faces one rear-facing seat. So when there are two rear-facing seats in the back, whether that's twins or two children close in age, one mirror shows you one baby. The other rides out of view.

The fix is simple: a mirror for each rear-facing seat. Here's where each one goes, which Leo&Ella mirror fits which headrest, and how to aim both so a single glance at your rearview mirror shows both faces.

The Short Answer

• Two rear-facing seats: one mirror on the headrest in front of each baby's face. Each mirror shows its own seat.
• One rear-facing, one forward-facing: only the rear-facing seat needs a mirror. A forward-facing child already faces you.
• Match each mirror to its headrest. Two exposed posts: the Large or Medium. One molded piece: the Tesla & Fixed, which also fits adjustable headrests.

Why One Mirror Isn't Enough

A rear-facing baby faces the back of the seat they're installed on. The mirror hangs on that seat's headrest, angled so the baby's face shows in your rearview mirror. Put a second rear-facing seat on the other side of the car and that baby faces a different headrest. The first mirror is aimed at the first seat, so it can't show the second one too.

Drag the slider to see the same back seat with one mirror and with two.

One mirror

Two mirrors

Slide to compare One mirror and Two mirrors

Where the Mirrors Go, Seat by Seat

Where your children sit depends on your car and your car seats. Put each car seat where it can be installed correctly and snugly, following the car seat's and the vehicle's manuals: that's NHTSA's advice. The mirrors come second.

1. Both side seats

The most common setup for twins: one rear-facing seat behind the driver, one behind the front passenger. Each outboard seat has its own headrest, so each baby gets their own mirror. In your rearview mirror you'll see the two baby mirrors toward either side.

2. One side seat and the middle

Some parents put one seat in the middle. A mirror for the middle seat needs a headrest on the middle seat to hang from, and many cars don't have one there, or have a low one. Leo&Ella mirrors need a headrest; we don't claim they fit a seat without one. The middle seat and no-headrest guide explains the options.

3. One rear-facing, one forward-facing

An older sibling who has moved to a forward-facing seat faces the front, so you can see them with a glance in your rearview mirror. Only the rear-facing seat needs a mirror. The AAP recommends keeping children rear-facing for as long as possible, until they reach the highest weight or height their car seat allows (HealthyChildren.org), so for a while you may well have two rear-facing seats even with children of different ages.

Which Mirror for Each Seat

Check the headrest in front of each rear-facing seat. Pull it up: if two metal posts slide out, it's adjustable. If it's one molded piece that doesn't move, it's fixed. In most cars both rear side seats have the same kind, but check each one.

• Adjustable, two exposed posts: the Large (11.5" x 7.5") or the Medium (10" x 6.8"). Two adjustable buckle straps, on in under 30 seconds.
• Fixed, one piece (or adjustable): the Tesla & Fixed (11.5" x 7.5"). A patent-pending continuous elastic loop, on in under 10 seconds.

All three are convex, shatterproof ABS acrylic (not glass), crash tested, turn 360°, and arrive fully assembled. If you aren't sure between the two strap mirrors, Large vs. Medium compares them on the same headrest.

How to Aim Two Mirrors

1. Fit both mirrors first, one on each headrest, centered in front of where each baby's face will be.
2. Sit where you drive with your seat and rearview mirror set as you normally have them. Don't move the rearview mirror to suit the baby mirrors.
3. Aim one at a time. With the first baby in their seat, turn and tilt that mirror until their face shows in your rearview mirror. Then do the same for the second. (A helper in the back makes this quicker.)
4. Wiggle each one. A mirror that slides or sags will drift out of aim. Tighten the straps, or check the elastic loop is seated all the way around the headrest.
5. Check with a glance. You should see both faces in your rearview mirror without turning your head. If one is cut off, nudge that mirror, not the rearview.

The placement guide has the sight-line details for each seat, and the install guide covers fitting step by step.

Mirrors, a Camera, or Both?

The Camio is a wired camera monitor: a 1080p camera that straps to a back-seat headrest and a 5-inch screen on your windshield or dashboard, with infrared night vision and a 120° wide-angle lens. Its camera mounts to one headrest, the same way a mirror does, so plan on it watching one seat. Some families use the Camio for one seat and a mirror for the other. The mirror vs. camera comparison goes through the trade-offs.

Quick Answers

Can one big mirror show both twins? Not if they sit on opposite sides. Each rear-facing baby faces a different headrest, and a mirror aimed at one seat can't show the other. One mirror per rear-facing seat is the reliable setup.

Do I need two of the same mirror? No. Each seat's headrest decides its mirror. If both headrests are the same kind, two of the same is simplest.

Is a mirror for the middle seat possible? Only if the middle seat has a headrest in front of your baby's car seat. Check before you buy.

Is a baby car mirror distracting with two? The point is a glance in the rearview mirror you already check, not turning around. Keep your eyes on the road; are baby car mirrors safe covers what to look for.

Is there a free sunshade? Each mirror comes with a free car window sunshade 2-pack while supplies last. It may ship separately.

Check both headrests, then pick a mirror for each: the Large baby car mirror for adjustable headrests, or the Tesla & Fixed headrest mirror for fixed and adjustable ones. Or see every mirror side by side.