Little things do mean a lot. Sometimes they mean everything.

One young Attleboro mother apparently took the time to strap her baby boy into his stroller in such a way that when a car struck the pair last week in Attleboro, he remained snug as his seat rolled over a couple of times.

Stacy Wetherell and her baby, who is a year old, were treated at hospitals and released. Jacob, officials said, suffered cuts to his cheek.

Who knows what could have happened had Ms. Wetherell not, prior to the outing, bent over her baby, tucking and buckling, just so.

The outcome sets an example for other parents. Sometimes a walk on a pretty day can be shattered by the unexpected. Attention to detail is critical. Education on child seat safety usually focuses on cars. Consumer Reports last week had to admit, red-faced, that its alerts on reliability of certain models may have been in error and re-testing is slated. Officials of the National Highway Traffic Safety immediately cautioned parents to keep using car seats as the best defense for a child in a crash. And so did Consumer Reports.

"To those who may have seen the report earlier in print, on the Web, or in broadcasts, we urge you to remember that use of any child seat is safer than no child seat," CR reports on its Web site, "but to suspend judgment on the merits of individual products until the new testing has been completed and the report re-published."

But one incident on a pretty street in Attleboro on an otherwise uneventful day is a cautionary tale about sidewalk strollers, those seemingly innocuous beasts of burden.

Safety advocates, including the chastened industry watchdog, Consumer Reports, advise the following: Be sure your child does not exceed the manufacturer's weight limit, don't overload the stroller, keep heavy bags off handles since they may cause the stroller to tip, engage the frame-locking mechanism and use the parking brake when stopped, and return the stroller warranty card so you can be notified of a recall.

And be sure to use the safety belt or harness to restrain your little passenger.

Stories of children in strollers rolling into the path of danger, or into water or into walls highlight another factor that cannot be built into the vehicle itself. That's the parent, the grandparent or the babysitter. Are you sure you can handle that stroller, a cell phone, the family dog and groceries all at the same time?

Welcome home to Jacob, whose mother apparently took the time to carefully buckle him in.