Buick Enclave: Older Children. Infants and Young Children. Child Restraint Systems

Older Children

Older children who have outgrown booster seats should wear the vehicle safety belts.

The manufacturer's instructions that come with the booster seat state the weight and height limitations for that booster. Use a booster seat with a lap-shoulder belt until the child passes the fit test below:

Do the knees bend at the seat edge? If yes, continue. If no, return to the booster seat.

Does the shoulder belt rest on the shoulder? If yes, continue.

If no, try using the rear safety belt comfort guide. See “Rear Safety Belt Comfort Guides” under Lap-Shoulder Belt  for more information.

If the shoulder belt still does not rest on the shoulder, then return to the booster seat.

Q: What is the proper way to wear safety belts?

A: An older child should wear a lap-shoulder belt and get the additional restraint a shoulder belt can provide. The shoulder belt should not cross the face or neck. The lap belt should fit snugly below the hips, just touching the top of the thighs.

This applies belt force to the child's pelvic bones in a crash.

It should never be worn over the abdomen, which could cause severe or even fatal internal injuries in a crash.

Also see “Rear Safety Belt Comfort Guides” under Lap-Shoulder Belt .

According to accident statistics, children and infants are safer when properly restrained in a child restraint system or infant restraint system secured in a rear seating position.

In a crash, children who are not buckled up can strike other people who are buckled up, or can be thrown out of the vehicle. Older children need to use safety belts properly.

WARNING
Never do this.

Never allow two children to wear the same safety belt. The safety belt cannot properly spread the impact forces. In a crash, the two children can be crushed together and seriously injured. A safety belt must be used by only one person at a time.

WARNING
Never do this.

That could cause serious or fatal injuries. The shoulder belt should go over the shoulder and across the chest.

Infants and Young Children

Everyone in a vehicle needs protection! This includes infants and all other children. Neither the distance traveled nor the age and size of the traveler changes the need, for everyone, to use safety restraints. In fact, the law in every state in the United States and in every Canadian province says children up to some age must be restrained while in a vehicle

WARNING
Children can be seriously injured or strangled if a shoulder belt is wrapped around their neck and the safety belt continues to tighten. Never leave children unattended in a vehicle and never allow children to play with the safety belts.

Airbags plus lap-shoulder belts offer protection for adults and older children, but not for young children and infants. Neither the vehicle's safety belt system nor its airbag system is designed for them. Every time infants and young children ride in vehicles, they should have the protection provided by appropriate child restraints.

Children who are not restrained properly can strike other people, or can be thrown out of the vehicle

WARNING
Never do this.

Never hold an infant or a child while riding in a vehicle. Due to crash forces, an infant or a child will become so heavy it is not possible to hold it during a crash.

For example, in a crash at only 40 km/h (25 mph), a 5.5 kg (12 lb) infant will suddenly become a 110 kg (240 lb) force on a person's arms. An infant should be secured in an appropriate restraint.

WARNING
Never do this.

Children who are up against, or very close to, any airbag when it inflates can be seriously injured or killed. Never put a rear-facing child restraint in the right front seat. Secure a rear-facing child restraint in a rear seat. It is also better to secure a forward-facing child restraint in a rear seat. If you must secure a forward-facing child restraint in the right front seat, always move the front passenger seat as far back as it will go.

Q: What are the different types of add-on child restraints?

A: Add-on child restraints, which are purchased by the vehicle owner, are available in four basic types. Selection of a particular restraint should take into consideration not only the child's weight, height, and age but also whether or not the restraint will be compatible with the motor vehicle in which it will be used.

For most basic types of child restraints, there are many different models available.

When purchasing a child restraint, be sure it is designed to be used in a motor vehicle.

If it is, the restraint will have a label saying that it meets federal motor vehicle safety standards.

The restraint manufacturer's instructions that come with the restraint state the weight and height limitations for a particular child restraint. In addition, there are many kinds of restraints available for children with special needs.

WARNING
To reduce the risk of neck and head injury during a crash, infants need complete support. This is because an infant's neck is not fully developed and its head weighs so much compared with the rest of its body. In a crash, an infant in a rear-facing child restraint settles into the restraint, so the crash forces can be distributed across the strongest part of an infant's body, the back and shoulders. Infants should always be secured in rear-facing child restraints.

WARNING
A young child's hip bones are still so small that the vehicle's regular safety belt may not remain low on the hip bones, as it should.

Instead, it may settle up around the child's abdomen. In a crash, the belt would apply force on a body area that is unprotected by any bony structure. This alone could cause serious or fatal injuries. To reduce the risk of serious or fatal injuries during a crash, young children should always be secured in appropriate child restraints.

Child Restraint Systems

(A) Rear-Facing Infant Seat

The harness system holds the infant in place and, in a crash, acts to keep the infant positioned in the restraint.

(B) Forward-Facing Child Seat

(C) Booster Seats

Securing an Add-On Child Restraint in the Vehicle

WARNING
A child can be seriously injured or killed in a crash if the child restraint is not properly secured in the vehicle. Secure the child restraint properly in the vehicle using the vehicle safety belt or LATCH system, following the instructions that came with that child restraint and the instructions in this manual.

To help reduce the chance of injury, the child restraint must be secured in the vehicle. Child restraint systems must be secured in vehicle seats by lap belts or the lap belt portion of a lap-shoulder belt, or by the LATCH system.

See Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children (LATCH System)  for more information.

Children can be endangered in a crash if the child restraint is not properly secured in the vehicle.

When securing an add-on child restraint, refer to the instructions that come with the restraint which may be on the restraint itself or in a booklet, or both, and to this manual.

The child restraint instructions are important, so if they are not available, obtain a replacement copy from the manufacturer.

Keep in mind that an unsecured child restraint can move around in a collision or sudden stop and injure people in the vehicle. Be sure to properly secure any child restraint in the vehicle — even when no child is in it.

In some areas, Certified Child Passenger Safety Technicians (CPSTs) are available to inspect and demonstrate how to correctly use and install child restraints.

In the U.S., refer to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) website to locate the nearest child safety seat inspection station. For CPST availability in Canada, check with Transport Canada or the Provincial Ministry of Transportation office.

Securing the Child within the Child Restraint

WARNING
A child can be seriously injured or killed in a crash if the child is not properly secured in the child restraint. Secure the child properly following the instructions that came with that child restraint.