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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!

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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’
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‘I DO NOT want to see you at Christmas’
OP posts:
EasternStandard · 17/12/2025 09:06

Thanks for the timely reminder

Bloozie · 17/12/2025 09:08

Great thread - thank you for taking the time.

MinnieCauldwell · 17/12/2025 09:11

There should be some sort of public awareness/info mercial on tv. Perhaps we should push for one.
In-between the Christmas ads.

arcticpandas · 17/12/2025 09:11

Mine are teens now but I was always wary of batteries. But so many mums around me had no clue (and no Dr in the family who warned them as I had) so thank you OP!

winterwonder1 · 17/12/2025 09:12

Thank you for sharing. We wont buy anything with those batteries. Dangerous for pets too.

takealettermsjones · 17/12/2025 09:12

Great thread @SelotapeChicken, thank you.

Can I ask, out of interest, would you do the same thing (with the honey) if you suspected a pet had eaten one?

IndigoIsMyFavouriteColour · 17/12/2025 09:12

Thanks for the reminder OP

Hons123 · 17/12/2025 09:14

THANK YOU!!!!!!!

cloudengel · 17/12/2025 09:15

Thank you OP. Hope you have a quiet Christmas x

askmenow · 17/12/2025 09:16

Bumping OP. What a bugger the junior doctors are on strike! More work for you to cover.
Hope Christmas turns out better than expected.

SoulSearchBeHonest · 17/12/2025 09:17

Wow.

Thanks OP

MarioLink · 17/12/2025 09:19

Thanks OP. The inlaws always bug the cousins some cheap untested toys from eBay with accessible button batteries and I get so worried for my youngest. We keep a constant eye on her there.

caffelattetogo · 17/12/2025 09:19

Thank you for sharing

foxpillow · 17/12/2025 09:25

Bump

Roomforapony · 17/12/2025 09:26

Thank you @SelotapeChicken this is one of the most useful posts I’ve seen on MN (I remember your post from last year), I hope and pray you have an enjoyable but uneventful Christmas🎄

Bonbon21 · 17/12/2025 09:27

Thank you.

HelloSkeletonFace3 · 17/12/2025 09:39

Thank you for this important share

SelotapeChicken · 17/12/2025 09:45

takealettermsjones · 17/12/2025 09:12

Great thread @SelotapeChicken, thank you.

Can I ask, out of interest, would you do the same thing (with the honey) if you suspected a pet had eaten one?

Yes!

OP posts:
ThatPeachSwan · 17/12/2025 09:45

Thanks OP, very informative post

Spookyspaghetti · 17/12/2025 09:47

Thanks. It does wind me up how many things require button batteries these days!

Jugendstiel · 17/12/2025 09:50

Thank you. I almost bought DNiece (toddler) a battery operated toy for Christmas. Glad I bought her a board book instead.

BlueOceanFish · 17/12/2025 09:51

Bump

CleansUpButWouldPreferNotTo · 17/12/2025 09:51

I had no idea - thank you very much for this warning and the life-saving tip about honey.

Novemberbrain · 17/12/2025 09:53

Thank you, this has been the prompt I needed to have a quick review of things that use button batteries in our house. I hadn't heard of the honey advice either

Namechange568899542 · 17/12/2025 09:59

Not a mum (maybe one day!) and admittedly clicked on the post title for the drama… but stayed for the education. Had never heard of the honey trick, so good to know!

Another likely more “obvious” warning from me - leaving kids unattended with the Christmas tree. My mum left the room for all of 2 minutes when me and my sister were small, which is all it took my then 18 month old sibling, who’d shown no prior interest in it, to yank a bauble off the tree and bite it, smashing it into their mouth and throat resulting in being blue lighted to hospital.