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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’
Sensitive content
‘I DO NOT want to see you at Christmas’
Sensitive content
‘I DO NOT want to see you at Christmas’
OP posts:
JacknDiane · 17/12/2025 10:00

Bumping, well done @SelotapeChicken for posting this.

pontipinemum · 17/12/2025 10:02

Thank you for the reminder. I am conscious of batteries, I have a 3yr old and 1 yr old.

I have never heard of an Orbeez but I will be asking my nursery if they have them.

Do you mind if I screen shot this and share on SM?

RanchRat · 17/12/2025 10:02

Thanks, hope you have a good Christmas.

RitaFromThePitCanteen · 17/12/2025 10:04

This is so important. Thank you OP.

Pranksters · 17/12/2025 10:10

Can we add Orbeez to the list?

They can expand inside the body when inhaled or swallowed causing blockages.

user46256728992 · 17/12/2025 10:14

Amazing that we live in world gone mad with health and safety rules, but this seems to have been overlooked! Hope you don't have a single Christmas patient OP!

godmum56 · 17/12/2025 10:16

many thank to the OP for this timely reminder. Swallowing them is obviously the most dangerous but remember they can go up noses and in ears as well. If you have more than one child, around at christmas, especially if they are not all yours, watch what they may be feeding each other too!

KittyWilkinson · 17/12/2025 10:17

Bumping, thank you.

Nevereatcardboard · 17/12/2025 10:21

Thank you for the warning @SelotapeChicken

I’m also going to say be careful with pets getting hold of children’s toys as emergency vets also don’t want to see these injuries.

Whichone2024 · 17/12/2025 10:22

Thanks OP I will spread this message. Hope for you a peacefully Christmas

IWishToBeAnonymous · 17/12/2025 10:23

Bump!
Thanks op, my kids both had time straight after birth either in intensive care or the children's ward but luckily nothing else after that, so am very grateful to all the doctors in the NHS.
This is probably one of the most important posts of Christmas Mumsnet.
My mum and dad put everything that was small or dangerous high up for about 4 years to make sure it was really safe, mother in law left everything out, it was very stressful. My mum even dedicated the bottom drawer in the kitchen to plastic pots and pots and a wooden spoon for the kids to discover, what a wonderful idea!
Classics or a Mumsnet feature on an annual basis ?

Freesiapleaser · 17/12/2025 10:26

Yep. So right.
I've seen this too. I once had to take my 9 month old in with unexplained bleeding and they thought he'd swallowed a battery. Because they'd had 2 the week before.
I thought it was unlikely but it was still scary. (because we had none in the house until the kids were out of that stage but even now he's 5 we try to choose toys that don't have these or have a screw back. We have been known to just throw toys out to avoid them)

EmeraldShamrock000 · 17/12/2025 10:31

Thank you. I hope you have an amazing Christmas with minimal stress.

Nancylancy · 17/12/2025 10:35

Thank you

lcakethereforeIam · 17/12/2025 10:40

Thank you OP.

Can I add these to the list?

TiSkying Magic Grow Capsules Growing in Water Animal Toys Baby Cognition Toys Early Educational Toy - 4PCS : Amazon.co.uk: Toys & Games https://share.google/LKl7rQYgZ3tmU0qz0

I'm actually astonished to find these for sale. I thought, googling for them that they must have been banned already. I feel like, hopefully, I'm missing something.

Eta Fwiw I've reported that product to Amazon.

SoftandQuiet · 17/12/2025 10:50

lcakethereforeIam · 17/12/2025 10:40

Thank you OP.

Can I add these to the list?

TiSkying Magic Grow Capsules Growing in Water Animal Toys Baby Cognition Toys Early Educational Toy - 4PCS : Amazon.co.uk: Toys & Games https://share.google/LKl7rQYgZ3tmU0qz0

I'm actually astonished to find these for sale. I thought, googling for them that they must have been banned already. I feel like, hopefully, I'm missing something.

Eta Fwiw I've reported that product to Amazon.

Edited

Love how the warning right at the bottom says for over 12 years only but the photo shows preschoolers!

FollowSpot · 17/12/2025 10:53

Thank you OP.

I had never heard of Orbeez - how on earth are they allowed? The first link when you Google warbles about their sensory qualities, so attractive to those with young and / or SEN children. Shocking.

Also how can we be so far behind on the safety measures for batteries?

Wr need to be writing to our MPs . If you as one surgeon in the whole country have done 5 emergency operations in 2 weeks the problem is huge 🤬.

Every ad on TV is trying to get us to spend money on battery driven stuff - NO public safety ads these days.

SelotapeChicken · 17/12/2025 10:54

lcakethereforeIam · 17/12/2025 10:40

Thank you OP.

Can I add these to the list?

TiSkying Magic Grow Capsules Growing in Water Animal Toys Baby Cognition Toys Early Educational Toy - 4PCS : Amazon.co.uk: Toys & Games https://share.google/LKl7rQYgZ3tmU0qz0

I'm actually astonished to find these for sale. I thought, googling for them that they must have been banned already. I feel like, hopefully, I'm missing something.

Eta Fwiw I've reported that product to Amazon.

Edited

Oh my god what fresh hell are these???

OP posts:
Theseventhmagpie · 17/12/2025 10:56

Thanks OP. It was always my child’s grandparents that I worried about with these batteries hence the need to remind them as well of the dangers (my parents were both elderly retired medics who had scalpels and all sorts left lying around 😞)

elliejjtiny · 17/12/2025 11:00

Thank you OP. I always end up arguing with FIL because I bin used button batteries (and all other ones too) immediately rather than keep them to be recycled, i don't take chances with batteries and i don't want them lying around.

StarsShiningOnANighttimeSea · 17/12/2025 11:01

Much as I'm sure you're a very nice person, I would equally prefer to not need to see you in your professional capacity at Christmas (or at any other time of the year) either.

It's been drummed into our kids (6 and 3) since they were old enough to understand that eating shiny things would make them very poorly and to bring anything shiny that falls out of something straight to us. Even then, it's been truly distressing the number of items containing poorly secured button batteries we've had to confiscate over the years.

Cat1202 · 17/12/2025 11:06

My daughter worked with vulnerable young adults and they swallowed these as a way of self harm, thank you for posting this

SelotapeChicken · 17/12/2025 11:08

Pranksters · 17/12/2025 10:10

Can we add Orbeez to the list?

They can expand inside the body when inhaled or swallowed causing blockages.

Orbeez are honestly my worst nightmare. They look like gas on scans unless there are hundreds of them!

OP posts:
carconcerns · 17/12/2025 11:11

Thank you and bump!!

lcakethereforeIam · 17/12/2025 11:16

There's nothing about them being banned. The AI summary just wangs on about strict safety warningsHmm, that's just batteries, orbeez and their dupes. The sponge pills 💊 are either beyond my Google-fu or there's nothing out there except stuff about forever chemicals!

There are poignant articles from December 2024 warning about the risks of orbeez, etc. from the OPs contemporaries.