Boastful Car Stickers - Are You Having A Laugh?

Boastful Car Stickers - Are You Having A Laugh?
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Alamy

These days it seems I can't drive anywhere without meeting a 'yummy mummy in training' or a 'little monster on board.'

Give me a break.

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I've never understood why people feel the need to advertise the fact they have their brood in the car, as if this precious cargo makes some vital difference.

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But recently I've seen a spate of further 'evolved' stickers which make me cringe.

There's the yummy mummies, and 'my daughter's a princess' brigade - enough to wake a teeniest rumbling of school car park rage - and then there's the worst I've seen: 'My mum's better than your mum.'

Seriously, who would buy such a thing? Is this attempt at humour really the attitude we want to be instilling in our children?

As the mum of two teenage daughters, I can see the appeal of a humorous sticker proclaiming my car is 'Mum's Taxi' but beyond that they make me shudder.

Even the most basic of these signs – Baby or Twins on Board - is enough to divide opinion.

My friend Kim, mum to Ollie, five, says: "I find the 'yummy mummy in training and other signs like that funny. Where's the harm?

"As soon as I found out I was expecting Ollie I felt a surge of protectiveness, I don't think they had 'mum-to-be on board' stickers around much when I was pregnant, but I would have gladly bought one.

"When Ollie was born, I rushed out to get a Baby on Board sticker because I hated the thought of anyone bashing into my car and I wanted to keep him as safe as possible. Any little step I could take to help make sure this happened seemed a good idea. Whether or not it had any effect I don't know but it certainly helped my peace of mind."

I can also admit a slight temptation when my girls were younger to announce to the world that I had twins on board. Being an old misery, I didn't give in – but I can at least understand this reasoning.

Emily, proud mum to seven-month-old twin girls says: "I bought my car sticker because I wanted the world to know that I had twins. If I'm honest that was the first real reason but as time has gone by it has become more than that. I have noticed that people definitely drive more carefully when they see a baby on board sign.

"I'll use this one until it fades then get another one," says Emily who blogs at www.Twinmummyanddaddy.com "

Blogger Very Bored in Catalunya says that while she's no fan of boastful or competitive stickers, like Kim and Emily she has found a more straightforward sign worthwhile. She believes it makes a difference to the emergency services in the event of an accident, and rather usefully, came free in a maternity pack provided after the birth of her baby.

The argument about emergency services is an interesting one. Nobody would suggest anything that is genuinely useful in such terrible circumstances as a car crash is a waste of space.

But received wisdom says these signs were originally meant to help a search outside the car to check an infant hadn't been thrown free. Since then fasteners and belts on car seats have improved. And of course you have to ask what happens if the child isn't in the car when it's involved in an accident? Surely then the ever-present stickers become as much of a hindrance as it is a help – potentially even risking wasting vital time on a futile search.

In fact, they may pose more of a danger on the roads, creating a blind spot for the driver, making it harder to see a motorbike or cyclist.

So while 'a yummy mummy on board' sticker may be designed to raise a giggle, its consequences could be no laughing matter.

Do baby car stickers drive you mad? Or, are you proud to have a baby sticker?