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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

‘I DO NOT want to see you at Christmas’

240 replies

SelotapeChicken · 17/12/2025 06:12

Yes I got your attention. I’m not being unreasonable I could save your kids life. Also I am the op of the previous aibu post but I binned my account in a social media cleanse and then realised I needed to try and reshare tbe post. Finally I started a new thread because im
afraid people will see 2024 and think
’zombie thread and disregard my post’

It’s Christmas 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.

I can’t tell you to give honey to an under 12 month old baby because it’s against nhs guidelines but I would have no issue giving it to my child if I knew they’d eaten a button 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!

Sensitive content
‘I DO NOT want to see you at Christmas’
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‘I DO NOT want to see you at Christmas’
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‘I DO NOT want to see you at Christmas’
OP posts:
lcakethereforeIam · 21/12/2025 10:25

Ones that could be recharged by putting them on a recharging...thing, I don't know the terminology. Like the ones used by smart watches. That would be better than fiddly, dangerous, expensive batteries or trying to find the end of a charging cable, with a potential trip hazard. Something like that for medical devices would imo be vastly superior to batteries.

You can buy an electronic scales with a usp charging port but the only it cost a fortune.

SelotapeChicken · 21/12/2025 10:41

grumpygrape · 21/12/2025 10:06

Please, please, don't campaign for rechargeable only hearing aids. Consider the Alzheimer's sufferers who would forget every night to put them on charge ....

They also wouldn't be able to handle phone control.

Edited

I just meant list of things with batteries in.

OP posts:
grumpygrape · 21/12/2025 13:35

SelotapeChicken · 21/12/2025 10:41

I just meant list of things with batteries in.

That's fine, to be honest, I cheekily quoted your post to gain extra exposure for hearing aids users and their carers to get people to understand that 'their' 'obvious' solution doesn't always work for everyone.

Thanks for highlighting the battery issues and I wish you a serene season.

ChoccieCornflake · 24/12/2025 15:38

Bumping. Happy Christmas eve all!

Matsukaze · 24/12/2025 16:07

SelotapeChicken · 17/12/2025 07:42

NOOOO I DO NOT CLAIM THIS 🤣

Uh oh, the Q word has been uttered...😬

SelotapeChicken · 24/12/2025 21:43

Bumping for Christmas merry Christmas!!

OP posts:
SelotapeChicken · 25/12/2025 09:14

Merry Christmas everyone xxxx

OP posts:
SelotapeChicken · 26/12/2025 23:08

I hope you all had a fabulous Christmas and that button batteries weren’t included!

OP posts:
ErrolTheDragon · 27/12/2025 09:37

SelotapeChicken · 26/12/2025 23:08

I hope you all had a fabulous Christmas and that button batteries weren’t included!

And we all wish you the same - I hope you and your colleagues haven’t had to deal with these or other dangerous items ingested.
Parents need to keep on their guard year round of course, hopefully peak cheap tat will soon be over.

SelotapeChicken · 02/01/2026 09:52

Bumping shamelessly

OP posts:
StartingFreshFor2026 · 07/01/2026 12:06

Hi @SelotapeChicken . DS (severe autism and LD) just found a toy (about 7cm by 7cm but flat ish) we'd confiscated because he has pica and it has waterbeads in. Why oh why we didn't just throw it in the bin, I don't know - in the chaos we just put it away to deal with later. Anyway, he found it and has presumably eaten the whole lot this morning. We have scoured the house to see if he chucked it instead, none, and he has severe pica and there was one bead in his hair.

I obviously immediately took him to A&E today who spoke to their surgeons. They said as he was presenting so well to take him to school and do everything as normal unless he shows any symptoms.

DS has chronic, severe constipation anyway so it will be days before he opens his bowels. I feel awful just sitting at home, I can't help think something is wrong.

Sorry for using you this way. Very worried.

GreenFritillary · 07/01/2026 17:07

How is he now you've probably got him home after school?

StartingFreshFor2026 · 07/01/2026 17:11

GreenFritillary · 07/01/2026 17:07

How is he now you've probably got him home after school?

I picked him up from school early because he wasn't himself apparently. He was shouting in pain but that (sadly) is normal for him at the moment with constipation/ ongoing unidentified issues. He started gagging and doing strange facial expressions but no vomiting. My husband has taken him back to A&E now but we're worried we won't get taken seriously because DC did start giggling a bit and doesn't have distended tummy.

SelotapeChicken · 08/01/2026 03:05

StartingFreshFor2026 · 07/01/2026 12:06

Hi @SelotapeChicken . DS (severe autism and LD) just found a toy (about 7cm by 7cm but flat ish) we'd confiscated because he has pica and it has waterbeads in. Why oh why we didn't just throw it in the bin, I don't know - in the chaos we just put it away to deal with later. Anyway, he found it and has presumably eaten the whole lot this morning. We have scoured the house to see if he chucked it instead, none, and he has severe pica and there was one bead in his hair.

I obviously immediately took him to A&E today who spoke to their surgeons. They said as he was presenting so well to take him to school and do everything as normal unless he shows any symptoms.

DS has chronic, severe constipation anyway so it will be days before he opens his bowels. I feel awful just sitting at home, I can't help think something is wrong.

Sorry for using you this way. Very worried.

Sorry I’ve just seen this. I would monitor over night and check his stool and if he hasn’t passed them by tomorrow ish I’d take him back. If he was my child. That’s what I’d do but I’m not there to see him so don’t take my statement as medical advice. However you know him best so I’d say go with your gut and maybe take the you with you and go to a hospital with a good paediatric unit / is entirely focused on children.

OP posts:
StartingFreshFor2026 · 08/01/2026 17:10

SelotapeChicken · 08/01/2026 03:05

Sorry I’ve just seen this. I would monitor over night and check his stool and if he hasn’t passed them by tomorrow ish I’d take him back. If he was my child. That’s what I’d do but I’m not there to see him so don’t take my statement as medical advice. However you know him best so I’d say go with your gut and maybe take the you with you and go to a hospital with a good paediatric unit / is entirely focused on children.

Thanks, no bowel movements yet but that is usual for him. He's behaving normally for him at the moment.

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