"Baby on board" is the message of a small (usually ) sign intended to be placed in the back window of an

automobile A car or automobile is a motor vehicle with Wheel, wheels. Most definitions of ''cars'' say that they run primarily on roads, Car seat, seat one to eight people, have four wheels, and mainly transport private transport#Personal transport, pe ...

to caution other drivers that an infant is travelling in the automobile. Babyonboard

The intention of the sign is often confused with a warning to emergency personnel ( Tot Finder) in case of emergency, as there may be a baby in the vehicle. However, this is historically inaccurate.

History and popular use

A version of the sign was found in Germany by Patricia Bradley of

Medford, Massachusetts Medford is a city northwest of downtown Boston on the Mystic River in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. At the time of the 2020 U.S. Census, Medford's population was 59,659. It is home to Tufts University, which has its campus alo ...

. 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 An urban legend (sometimes contemporary legend, modern legend, urban myth, or urban tale) is a genre of folklore comprising stories or fallacious claims circulated as true, especially as having happened to a "friend of a friend" or a family m ...

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 Child care, otherwise known as day care, is the care and supervision of a child or multiple children at a time, whose ages range from two weeks of age to 18 years. Although most parents spend a significant amount of time caring for their child(r ...

products and is now part of

Dorel Industries Dorel Industries Inc. is a Canadian company, based in Montreal, Quebec, which designs and manufactures for three areas: juvenile products, bicycles and home furnishings. It was formed in 1987 as a result of a merger between Dorel Co. Ltd., foun ...

. The sign became a ubiquitous

fad A fad or trend is any form of collective behavior that develops within a culture, a generation or social group in which a group of people enthusiastically follow an impulse for a short period. Fads are objects or behaviors that achieve short- ...

, flourishing in 1985. Its use in the US 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, although its popularity continues 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) well into the 21st century. Despite waning in popularity, the signs have entered the American lexicon. In 1993, ''

The Simpsons ''The Simpsons'' is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical depiction of American life, epitomized by the Simpson family, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, ...

'' episode "

Homer's Barbershop Quartet "Homer's Barbershop Quartet" is the first episode of the fifth season of the American animated television series ''The Simpsons''. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on September 30, 1993. It features the Be Sharps, a b ...

" featured a

barbershop quartet A barbershop quartet is a group of four singers who sing music in the barbershop style, characterized by four-part harmony without instrumental accompaniment, or a cappella. The four voices are: the lead, the vocal part which typically carries t ...

tune called "Baby on Board". The song was written by

Homer Simpson Homer Jay Simpson is a fictional character and the main protagonist of the American animated sitcom ''The Simpsons''. He is voiced by Dan Castellaneta and first appeared, along with the rest of his family, in ''The Tracey Ullman Show'' short "G ...

in a flashback to 1985 when

Marge Marge is a feminine given name, a shortened form of Marjorie, Margot or Margaret (name), Margaret. Notable Marges include: People *Marge (cartoonist) (1904–1993), pen name of Marjorie Henderson Buell, American cartoonist *Marge Anderson (1932� ...

bought a sign, hoping it would stop people from "intentionally ramming our car". Following popular request and trials in 2005, Transport for London (TfL) began issuing badges with the TfL logo and the words "Baby on board!" to pregnant women travelling on the

London Underground The London Underground (also known simply as the Underground or by its nickname the Tube) is a rapid transit system serving Greater London and some parts of the adjacent ceremonial counties of England, counties of Buckinghamshire, Essex and He ...

, to help other passengers identify pregnant travellers who would like to be offered a seat.

History and popular use

References

Further reading