As we head for the holiday season with Thanksgiving soon and Christmas in December, our thoughts turn to choosing gifts for kids. Just about everything they want nowadays seems to have a battery in it and there’s a catch. Many of these are button batteries that look and feel like sweets. We thought this was good opportunity to remind parents what to do, if a child were to swallow a penny battery. A word of warning first: This post may be unsuitable for sensitive people.
Battery Tips for Choosing Christmas Gifts for Kids
While a toy may say “suitable for children aged N to N” the manufacturer may only be thinking of dexterity. We should not be giving toys with penny batteries to tiny tots. Kids should be able to understand the risks from sucking them. And what to do if they accidentally swallow one.
These accidents happen regularly. A report just published, states there were 45 incidents in 2016 in British Columbia alone. There are thousands more incidents in America every year because there are many more children. If swallowed, penny batteries from Christmas gifts for kids can stick in tiny throats with unfortunate consequences.
When Penny Batteries Stick in Tiny Throats
The button battery short-circuits through the soft tissue of the esophagus. Surprisingly high voltage can create a hole through to the outside of the throat. In a worst case, this can cause the aorta to rupture. Even batteries that are technically ‘dead’ may have enough power for this to happen.
This is not a pretty story, but it is a tale that we must tell, and retell regularly. We are passionate about batteries but we are even more passionate about children. Please link to this post from your social media pages and tell your friends.
Ask them to think twice before buying battery-powered Christmas gifts for small kids. And if they must, to tell the child they will not get in trouble if they admit to swallowing a penny battery. They will need urgent medical attention.
Related
How to Protect Kids from Button Battery Burns
Advice for Parents: Do a Penny Battery Audit
Preview Image: Button Battery Types Compared
More Information: Wikipedia Article