With a new arrival comes a whole new world of things that you never knew that you needed or wanted. As I mentioned last week in this post, I'm not a driver...but my husband is and our car is a beast that we rarely lose in car parks. As the driver, he has, for both children, been put in charge of purchasing and maintaining the 'car bits' when it comes to safety and accessories. It's not fully 'pimped' but it has the relevant necessities that as a pedestrian, wouldn't occur to me (sunshades for example). When I was pregnant with Moo I honestly didn't realise that we should have anything other than a car seat in his car, but he explained to me that a 'baby on board' sign was almost as important; I had no idea!
Like most people, I thought that a 'baby on board' or similar sign, was just a little novelty thing you stuck on your window to say 'hey look, I made a person', just another cute little addition to being a parent and the pride that comes with it. What I didn't realise was their genuine purpose; to alert emergency services personnel in the event of an accident that there is a child involved. If you are unfortunate enough to have an accident in your car whilst travelling with your child, these cute, little swinging signs may well be the one thing that clues help that your child needs them! I honestly had no idea!
With Bear on the way, I was on the lookout for a new one anyway as our existing one was dying a death, when I crossed paths with Little Bird Told Me, a wonderfully whimsical and beautifully-designed nursery brand that offer a wide range of activity toys for baby and young toddlers (and car signs, too)! They have four incredibly cute ranges in their collection; Curious Caterpillar and Friends, Bilowy Butterfly, Hey Bear, it's me Bear... and their adorable and traditional Rocking Horses. They aim to minimise impact on the planet by using Eco-friendly packaging that has a lovely, rustic and vintage feel to it which ties in with their traditional-style toys which are lovingly 'made-to-last'.
Car signs are available in the Curious Caterpillar and Friends or the Hey Bear, it's me Bear ranges, and although Bear's nickname is Bear (yes, I really wrote that), I felt that 'Softly Snail' was a bit more apt to us as a family; soft and colourful without being in-your-face-bright. I thought in terms of safety, the more colour, the better!
'Softly Snail' gently sways to catch the attention of drivers to warn them to drive carefully as you are carrying a baby (hopefully, they're driving carefully anyway and not like something from a video game) and is made of a patchwork of colourful felt, complete with 'Baby on Board' embroidered on her house-shaped shell. When she arrived, Moo fell in love instantly and even though she's almost three, enjoyed nuzzling her. My friend's ten-month-old also took a great interest in watching her swing softly.
Here are my pros and cons...
Pros.
- Beautiful design.
- Eye-catching without being distracting.
- Well-made and soft-to-touch.
- Big enough to be noticed, not so big that it's obstructive in rear window.
Cons.
- I am hopeless with suction cups and this was one I had trouble with. My husband did it in the end.
Please remember if you're putting such an item in your car's rear window that it is placed so that it is visible but not obstructing your view out the back of your car! Also, please remove the sign if you are travelling without your child so as not to waste valuable time of the emergency services should an accident occur.
The 'Softly Snail Baby on Board' sign is available from Little Bird Told Me priced at £6 (it measures approximately 20x19x4cm).
I'm already looking forward to Bear's first birthday so I can buy this bad boy...what a beauty!
Are you more into traditional than techno toys? I love nothing more than a beautiful pattern and retro design!
Clare
Please note; I was provided this product for he purposes of review, however all thoughts and opinions are my own and 100% honest.
Labels: Baby, car, review, safety
