I don't care if I am. I could save your child's life

[batterychicken]

I am a colorectal surgeon and we have had to perform 5 emergency operations in 2 weeks related to button batteries but this is so far from the normal, it is increasing exponentially

If you suspect your child or elderly person with dementia or anyone with SEND and who has difficulty communicating has swallowed a button battery and I mean if you even notice the compartment on a battery operated toy or tea light is open and missing and you didn't see you child swallow it. GO IMMEDIATELY TO A&E button batteries and shiny, easy to grab for
Toddler and easy to confuse for tablets for elderly patients

If your child is over the age of 12 months old give 2 teaspoons of honey every 10 mins until you reach hospital. This is crucial and will coat the battery so it doesn't burn the oesophagus or intestines.

Yes it's not ideal if the child needs surgery but there are emergency procedures we can do to minimise risk of aspiration and the risk of aspiration of honey is less than the risk posed of the battery.

In the US, all energiser branded button batteries are coated to taste bitter and covered in a safe dye that dyes the tongue and mouth blue. This is being rolled out the Uk slowly but surely.

There are photos online portraying the damage that honey does to the battery on the slice of ham but it's not to be looked at because the whole point of the honey is to coat the battery and help it not stay too long in one place and move through the digestive tract.

I will also add these absolutely horrific orbeez things to this thread but really they need banning from the world.

If your nursery or child care provider uses them in sensory play, please tell them to stop or move child care providers (hard I know) but orbeez feel brilliant to children and when they have no taste so when they're exploring orally it's very very easy to eat them. And you can't see them on xray until they're a certain size and even then they look like built up gas in the bowel. Obviously if the child has ingested loads then they you see them. However if it's one or 2 they can be tiny when swallowed but they continue to expand and expand, they can case major bowel obstructions.

Please do this. No orbeez and keep and eye out for button batteries (god why are they in so many toys??!)

First photo is a button battery on ham for 30
Mins, second photos is an orbeez removed from
A child and the 3rd shows you how many much they can expand from
The original.

Don't let it impact your life but just keep it at the forefront

If this stops 1 more family from meeting me for surgery on their child then good!

Thank you, very important information I had also never considered the risk of orbeez.

Thank you.

My DD got a light up skull ring from trick or treating and I didn't realise it had 2 button batteries in it.

The dog chewed it and the batteries were on the floor. Well thank God DD noticed and picked them up as I have an 11 month old that's crawling about.

It can happen so easily.

I remember discovering that one of DS1's toys was empty of batteries. I found one on the floor and was crawling around trying to find the other one while DS eyed me from behind the sofa. I laughed and said 'Where on earth is the other battery? You haven't eaten it, have you?' And he triumphantly produced it from his mouth. In this case it wasn't a button cell, but a standard AAA. But it certainly gave me a shock. Children will put just about anything in their mouths (and up their noses!)

Thanks for this OP.

Pplse

I had these last year from a party bag. The construction was shockingly bad (pun not intended, as at least it didn't shock anybody!) - half the time the LED wouldn't flash because it was all just pushed together with friction and the power button would slide out of place. While I was trying to fix the broken one, the battery compartment just slid easily off and the batteries fell out. I had a 2yo who was very into eating things, we ended up with three of the rings from various sources and they were both so excited about them that I didn't want to take them totally away. I just watched them both like a hawk every time they wanted to wear them and then tidied them up onto a high shelf out of reach. When they forgot about them I put them in electronics recycling. I didn't want to donate them for another child to be in danger.

Thank you, very useful information.

Thanks OP, great message and pleased you shared.

Bumping this shamelessly. I might see if I can share it to media outlets. I really think this should be shouted from the rooftops

100%! Thank you, OP!

Thank you OP.

Thank you for your advice. I knew about button batteries but didn't know about the orbeez. I was going to mention the neodymium magnets too (often used in desk toys / stress relievers) but doopsy has beaten me to it. My husband bought me one of those neodymium magnet desk toys a few years ago. It is now packed well away from my toddler granddaughters reach.

Are those the magnets that snap really hard back together ? They are scary too

Was just coming to post the same thing. Magnets don't need to be neodymium any strong magnet will do the trick.

Considering all the things I deliberately swallowed as a child I'm amazed I never got a battery or magnet

Sorry haven’t rtft as only on a quick break ! Wasn’t there a thread the other week where the OP was told they were overreacting about their dc nursery using tealights with these batteries in ??

Yes there was!

I really hope that everyone dismissing the concerns of the OP of that one see this thread - you can’t argue when a surgeon tells you the risks of these batteries !

I'm chairing a meeting this week with the hospital's media team, we're going ahead with a trust wide media campaign for this.

Where would you all as parents like to see info about these risks? Ie toddler groups, play schemes, drs waiting rooms etc. back of the toilet door in the baby change? I work for a massive trust with a wide community reach as we have our reach clinics in nearly every village & town around the area,

Please help me to spread the word

@batterychicken

I think all preschools need to know. The tea lights thing is shocking - absolutely spell out the dangers of button batteries and orbeez/floristry type balls/magnets - and highlight what they can do in the bowel.
I was disbelieved when I brought up the danger of orbeez. Made to feel like I was being over the top, or difficult.

Senior managers in these places need to know : day nurseries, state nurseries and private school nurseries. It was a private school nursery that I worked in.
So the press, news, contact to ALL (state and private) nurseries, there are various free magazines for parents that you see in libraries etc - or that get delivered door to door.
Could you also contact OFSTED, and the Independent Schools Inspectorate (ISI), bodies like United Learning? They will then make all schools aware.

I think people who don't have children need to know too.
Children may be visiting.
Lots of domestic items may pose hazards for children. Eg riser recliner chairs. Small go off into another room and start playing with something that isn't a toy.
They go underneath the riser recliner and Crush injuries may ensue.
Look at the dismissive attitude on the other thread. Suggesting counting the button batteries after an event at nursery.
Such ignorance is dangerous.
The more people that are at least aware of the deadly dangers the better. Even if they do not understand all the details.
So mass media if possible.
Local radio
Breakfast TV
Bus shelters.
And everyone keep talking. Tell everyone you know.
Thank you OP so much.

Yes. They are extremely magnetic and if one or more are swallowed they can stick to each other through the folds of the small bowel wall causing internal damage.

Maybe add vets? These items can injure pets, a poster which pointed out the dangers to animals and also children might reach a larger number of people.

Maybe AgeUK re dangers to older people?

Shamelessly bumping this

Thank you OP

Thank you for your work 💐

Thank you so much for this important information