Pontiac 1998 Grand Am Owner's Manual page 43

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. I n
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.
lnfants 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 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 fist trip in
a
motor vehicle.
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