MUM was left in shock after discovering a baby item had scorched her child’s car seat.
Emma Gavin, 36, from Corby, Northamptonshire, endured every parent’s nightmare when she returned from the school drop-off last week to find smoke billowing from her car.
In a frantic check of the vehicle, Emma discovered the terrifying cause: a baby mirror she had purchased from Home Bargains.
Emma, who had only passed her driving test two months ago, was using the mirror to keep an eye on her eight-month-old son Louie.
But what was meant to be a safety aid turned into a potential death trap.
She said: “I started to pat down the car seat and realised the sun had caught the mirror, turning it into a deadly magnifying glass,
“It was like something out of a horror movie. I was petrified Louie had been burnt.”
The horrifying incident happened on a warm, sunny morning as Emma was driving her partner’s Volkswagen Tiguan.
Despite the car’s tinted windows and sunshades, the sun’s rays managed to sneak through the driver’s window, hitting the baby mirror and focusing the heat onto Louie’s seat.
Emma’s quick actions likely averted a catastrophe.
She continued: “It could have set alight whilst Louie was in the seat – that doesn’t bear thinking about, I threw the mirror in the bin immediately.”
The mum-of-three shared shocking photos of the burn marks just centimetres away from where little Louie had been sitting.
She had bought the mirror for just £4.99 from Home Bargains in April, but is now warning other parents to be cautious.
Emma took to a mum group online, where she was advised to use a convex mirror instead, as they are less likely to concentrate sunlight.
She added: “I can’t believe a product that is potentially so dangerous can be sold.
“I do feel like it was my own fault, but I never thought a device meant to make driving safer could be so dangerous, I keep thinking, ‘what if’ It could have been so much worse.”
Emma has since contacted Home Bargains regarding the incident.
A spokesperson for the store said: “Naturally, we are sorry to learn of our customer’s experience and any distress suffered.
“We take the safety of our products extremely seriously and would be happy to work with the customer to resolve this matter.”
Emma’s story serves as a stark warning to others as she pleas with parents: “Please do your research, it could have been so much worse.
“I’m just so thankful I saw what was happening because I was parked and not driving. It’s a reminder of how careful we need to be with every aspect of our children’s safety.”
This scary near-miss has left Emma on high alert, but her quick thinking and sheer luck with timing had saved her baby from a possible disaster.
Meanwhile, while it can be tempting to leave your child in the car during a quick whiz around the supermarket, expert advice says it could be “life-threatening” during the heatwave.
Elsewhere, a study reveals an urgent warning to parents over common mistakes parents often make when installing car seats, which could prove fatal.
