Oldsmobile 1999 Alero - Manual (Page 43)

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CAUTION:
Smaller children and babies should always be
restrained in a child or infant restraint. The
instructions for the restraint will say whether it is
the right type and size for your child. A very
young child’s hip bones are so small that a
regular belt might not stay low on the hips, as it
should. Instead, the belt will likely be over the
child’s abdomen. In a crash, the belt would apply
force right on the child’s abdomen, which could
cause serious or fatal injuries. So, be sure that
any child small enough for one is always properly
restrained in a child or infant restraint.
Infants need complete support, including support for the
head and neck. This is necessary because an infant’s neck
is weak and its head weighs so much compared with the
rest of its body. In a frontal crash, an infant in a rear
- facing
restraint settles into the restraint, so the crash forces can be
distributed across the strongest part of the infant’s body,
the back and shoulders. A baby should be secured in an
appropriate infant restraint. This is so important that many
hospitals today won’t release a newborn infant to its
parents unless there is an infant restraint available for the
baby’s first trip in a motor vehicle.