Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Protection built in.

Meet the Other Phone.
Protection built in.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To find Baby on board car signs pointless and rather irritating.

255 replies

VickyLouT · 27/02/2022 11:57

I just don't get it. What purpose do these signs serve? I totally understand why you might wear a baby on board badge on the tube, that has a purpose. But why a car sign? Are other drivers supposed to be behave differently around you "more safely" or perhaps just be forewarned that you may have poor driving or parking as you may be sleep deprived. Aibu to find this pointless signalling irritating? Maybe someone with one of these signs share why?

OP posts:
chickentikkawhatswrong · 27/02/2022 12:37

Well since most people don’t seem to take them down every time child isn’t travelling in vehicle

‘Baby on board’ sign= A baby MIGHT be in the vehicle

No ‘Baby on board’ sign= A baby MIGHT be in the vehicle

SpaghettiNotCourgetti · 27/02/2022 12:38

carnations

For instance. in a bad smash, sometimes small children can be catapulted out of the vehicle altogether, and it alerts them to look, just in case.

But that assumes that people take the signs out when they aren't driving with their kids on board, which I doubt.

I'd also think that a heavily mangled car seat would be more of a clue to an ejected child - and it probably would be fairly mangled to allowed the child to fly out in the event of a crash, given that they're designed specifically not to allow this to happen.

Tara336 · 27/02/2022 12:40

If there was an accident I would assume that emergency services would look and see child car seats which are a lot more obvious then some stupid little sign in the back window? Those signs always seem to be in the rear window of a badly driven people carrier speeding in the outside lane of the motorway

SoupDragon · 27/02/2022 12:42

Every time these threads come up someone from the emergency services comes on to say they pay the signs absolutely no attention at all.

LivingNextDoorToNorma · 27/02/2022 12:43

@Sunsetzs

Tbf, to a lot of people, children/babies are thought of as innocent and needing protection. A child murderer receives a lot more hatred than someone who murdered an adult. It's seen as more heinous.

So, I always thought the signs were there because if there is some driver who is a bit of a dickhead with their driving, they may be more careful around your car because they value children's lives more.

It's not right, but plenty of people behave in a safer way when children/babies are present.

I think there’s something in this.

When my first dc was about 2 months old, a man almost drove into me when he quickly turned the wrong way in a supermarket car park. Once I was parked up and getting the baby out of the car, the man approached and apologised, saying he didn’t realise I had a baby. It shouldn't have made a difference, but to this guy it obviously did.

Maybe I should have had a sign!

AllThatFancyPaintsAsFair · 27/02/2022 12:44

To all the posters saying they are for the emergency services (despite numerous online debunking of this) how do you think it works?

Do they check first for the presence of a sign before, you know, actually looking in the car?

Do they check every window, footwell, back seat for a sign thaighht have been dislodged in the accident? You'd think they might notice a child whilst doing that

Do they see a sign, check the car, find no child but carry on looking because obvioulsy sign = child so there must be one in there somewhere

It stands up to no scrutiny at all

LemonViolet · 27/02/2022 12:47

This is what they make me think of

Mumto7moboy · 27/02/2022 12:47

This reply has been deleted

This has been deleted by MNHQ for breaking our Talk Guidelines.

Cocobay · 27/02/2022 12:47

Oh no I just bought one the other day 😂

BobMortimersTrout · 27/02/2022 12:48

@HunterHearstHelmsley

I take them to mean "I'm a shit driver who isn't paying attention to the road". There is literally no point otherwise.
This is more or less why I put one up when I had a newborn. Ok, not that I'm a shit driver, but that I might be going a bit slow, and yes, potentially distracted. It fell down a few months ago and I haven't bothered to put it back up, but I don't see an issue with the signs - who is it hurting to put them up?! I guess kind of similar to people who have P plates - that's signalling something about the state of the driver that it may be useful for other road users to know
Theresamagicalplace · 27/02/2022 12:49

Every single person I know that has one of these signs drives like an absolute twat. Speeding through residential areas, tailgating etc. So I do judge drivers when I see it and give them more space....for my protection not theirs.

Lemon221 · 27/02/2022 12:50

It’s for if you are in a car crash. So emergency services will help your baby

sageandbasil · 27/02/2022 12:50

Surely the car seat would be an indication that there's a child on board

BadgeronaMoped · 27/02/2022 12:50

Agree you don't see them so often these days (maybe you're in a local hot spot for them OP). I did see a "certified shit box" one on an old car recently, that made me laugh.

hugr · 27/02/2022 12:50

I didn't think they were for emergency services, I just wanted one as I was excited to take my baby home!

hugr · 27/02/2022 12:51

[quote LemonViolet]This is what they make me think of

[/quote] Me too!
Theluggage15 · 27/02/2022 12:52

The emergency services look harder if it says Princess on Board. This is a true fact.

formalineadeline · 27/02/2022 12:52

Same meaning as many things in capitalism - someone saw a way to make money from gullible people.

IWantChocolates · 27/02/2022 12:53

I bought one because I was so proud to finally have a baby I wanted to alert other drivers in the hope they might maintain their distance. I knew it wouldn't do much. I just thought it's what everyone did when they had a child!

Sirzy · 27/02/2022 12:53

If a crash is so severe that the driver is unconscious and a child has been catapulted from a car seat I don’t think a small bit of plastic hanging in the window is going to help!

Ds has a seatbelt cover that highlights his medical problems and location of emergency kit but not so they know he is there!

Babyvenusplant · 27/02/2022 12:54

I don't have one but couldn't care less if other people do, they don't bother me in the slightest

Although.. the ones that tell you to go fuck yourself if you're driving to close annoy me a bit

MangoLipstick · 27/02/2022 12:55

I don’t see any harm in having one. Why would it bother anyone?

I always thought they were there to perhaps encourage stupid drivers to behave abit better.

DiddyHeck · 27/02/2022 12:56

@Jestal

I use one. It makes me feel abit better that if some idot is tail gating me obnoxiously close enough that they can read the sign that it is more likely to act as a repellent for them to back the hell off. Lots of peoole drive recklessly. But many people dont want to be the reason why a car accident happens to a baby.
Oh come on, you don't seriously believe that?

Someone that drives dangerously doesn't give a shit about other road users. Your baby might be the most important thing in your life, but they're not going to give a shit or even know if you've got a baby in your car for that matter.

MoodySky · 27/02/2022 12:56

Read the full thread people! Stop saying they're for the emergency services - they're not.

They're for the driver to show off that they've got a baby.

Sparklingbrook · 27/02/2022 12:57

At what age do you remove the sign?

Swipe left for the next trending thread