Parents have been urged to heed a warning over children's car seats raised by one worried parent on social media ahead of the hottest months of the year.
An expert has issued advice to drivers with children in the UK ahead of the predicted heatwave in the coming days, after one mum from Canada shared a terrifying close call. TikTok user Natausha Furlong posted a video on the platform revealing that she returned to her car to find smoke billowing from her baby's booster seat.
The mum discovered several holes burned into the seat, believed to have been caused by the sun reflecting off an infant mirror she had installed on the opposite headrest, The Mirror reports. Thankfully, the baby was not inside the car when the incident occurred - but Natausha urged all parents to be aware of the potential risks, saying: "It could have been so much worse."
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A fire service recently raised awareness of the potential fire hazard that mirrors can pose, urging the public to ensure they aware of the risks after being called out to a number of related incidents. Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue explained: "Where you have a mirror or any other glass object, such as an ornament, that is curved, this allows the glass to act as a lens.
"When the sunlight hits it, it becomes concentrated and, if the rays are bounced onto something flammable (such as curtains or soft furnishings) then a fire can start. The principle is the same as using a magnifying glass to start a fire," they added.
Graham Conway, managing director at Select Car Leasing, hopes that the worrying TikTok clip will serve as a warning to any parents who use similar products. He said: "This TikTok post is extremely alarming and all parents who make use of a baby car seat mirror should heed the warning, particularly as the UK heads into the warmest months of the year.
"If you think this could only happen in America, where this TikTok post originated, think again, particularly as the UK experienced record-breaking temperature highs of 40.3C in the summer of 2022. It's also concerning to think what might have happened had the child been asleep inside the seat, perhaps during a long journey."
However, the expert also acknowledged the fact that many parents may wish to install mirrors in their car to keep an eye on their little one, and advised how to get around this in the summer months. "Hearing a baby cry in the backseat of a car can make a parent feel helpless, which is why so many people find comfort in using a baby car seat mirror," he noted.
"They make use of a car's rear-view mirror to allow parents to see babies sitting in rear-facing car seats. But that convenience doesn't come without risks.
"My advice would be to invest in good car sunshades, to cover all of the windows in the rear of the car, to prevent the sun from shining so brightly through the glass. Or it simply might be advisable not to use a mirror at all. You should certainly remain alert to the dangers of a concentrated sunbeam if you do choose to continue using a mirror."
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