Baby on Board

I am sure you have seen those really cute baby on board signs. They are a yellow diamond sometimes have a cute picture on them. I have always wondered what they were for. I always thought that they were just to remind others to drive safely because you have a baby in your car. I also thought it was a cute way to be proud of your new little bundle of joy. I never thought that there was an actual reason for it. It makes sense though because it’s important to tell someone when you have a baby in the car. If you are in a car accident, it will alert others, the police and the paramedics that there is a baby in the car. That way they know to look for the child if they aren’t in their seat or if their car seat is missing. It all started in 1984 to encourage safe driving. People tend to drive safer when they know a baby is in the car. It has also become a universal sign to emergency crews.

 It’s a good idea to take down the baby on board sign when the child is not in the car though. That way they aren’t wasting valuable time looking for your child who is safe at home or at daycare. To remind yourself you could place it on the car seat base or in the seat so you know that you need to hang it back up. If you are in an accident, you may not be able to communicate with the paramedics and mention your baby. Especially if your car flips over. Some fire stations will hand them out for free. I think they should come standard with every car seat. It’s also a good idea to place a sticker with your information on your child’s car seat, in case of an emergency. You can put your contact information and your child’s doctor and name. Be sure to include any medical conditions and allergies. I got a couple when Noah was born but you could just write it on an address label in marker.  Be sure to keep it updated if your phone number changes or allergies change.