Baby on board

"Baby on board" is the message of a small (usually ) 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, as there may be a baby in the vehicle. However, this is not the intended purpose as stated by the company Safety 1st, which was marketing the product at the time of its peak popularity. History and popular use 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.