Baby on board

Inside a vehicle

It can be the message of a small (usually 12 cm) sign intended to be placed in the back window of an automobile to caution other drivers that an infant is travelling in the automobile.

The sign may also be intended as a warning to emergency personnel, in case of emergency, that there may be a baby in the vehicle. However, this is not the intended purpose as stated by the company Safety 1st, which marketed the product at the time of its peak popularity.

A version of the sign was found in Germany by Patricia Bradley of Medford, Massachusetts. With her sister Helen she started a company, PHOB, to market them in the US, but had only limited success until partnering with Michael Lerner.

Lerner was told about the signs after recounting his experience of aggressive drivers when driving his baby nephew home in busy traffic. An urban legend claims that the death of a baby led to the creation of the signs, but there is no truth to this claim. Lerner eventually bought PHOB for approximately US$150,000, and changed the name to "Safety 1st". The company later diversified into infant and child care products and is now part of Dorel Industries.

The sign became ubiquitous in the US in 1985, but its use rapidly declined in 1986 as parody imitations with lines like "Baby I'm Bored", "Pit Bull on board", and "Mother-In-Law in Trunk" became popular.

Its popularity continues well into the 21st century in the United Kingdom (along with other versions such as "Princess on board" and "Little Person on board"), in Italy, and in Japan (usually saying "Baby in Car", with the sign written in either English or Japanese script).

Despite waning in popularity, the signs have entered the American lexicon. In 1993, The Simpsons episode "Homer's Barbershop Quartet" featured a barbershop quartet tune called "Baby on Board". The song was written by Homer Simpson in a flashback to 1985 when Marge bought a sign, hoping it would stop people from "intentionally ramming our car".

Pregnancy alert sign

Following popular request and trials in 2005, Transport for London (TfL) began issuing badges displaying the TfL logo and the words "Baby on board!" to pregnant women travelling on the London Underground, to help other passengers identify pregnant travellers who might like to be offered a seat. TfL supplies free of charge one "Baby on board" badge per person. The effectiveness of this badge is mixed.

Today, similar badges are available from retailers, and from many other public transport operators in the UK and the Republic of Ireland.

References

References

1. (10 Dec 2024). "Parent drivers horrified after discovering real reason for popular 'baby on board' car signs". KentLive.
2. (6 October 2014). "You Probably Don't Know The Real Story Behind Baby On Board Signs". [[Quartz (publication)]].
3. (13 June 2011). "After the One-Hit Wonder". [[The Wall Street Journal]].
4. (2006-09-02). "Baby on Board". [[Urban Legends Reference Pages]].
5. Caen, Herb., Miller, Bonnie J.., Mecchi, Irene., Lyons, Robert. Herb Caen's San Francisco: 1976-1991 (Hardcover). San Francisco: Chronicle Books, 1992. pg 157
6. "Fun Galleries | FacThat".
7. (2005-03-07). "Tube trials 'Baby on board' badges for mums-to-be". [[Transport for London]].
8. (2012-04-02). "Baby on Board". [[Transport for London]].
9. "Pregnant women & buggy users".
10. (2022). "Pregnancy and Commuting to Work". Elsevier Ltd.
11. (29 July 2018). "Transport for Ireland introduces 'Baby on Board' badges for expectant mothers across all public transport services".