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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:
FadedRed · 19/12/2025 13:28

I wonder if MNHQ could ‘sticky’ this post for a while to save people having to keep bumping it. I will report my post and see what they say.

Hankunamatata · 19/12/2025 13:40

Agree op.

I wouldn't have any products with buttons batteries in the house when kids were under 10.

I won't have candles in the house either.

Toddlerteaplease · 19/12/2025 13:42

We’ve had several kids in with swallowed batteries. Fortunately mostly removed without long term damage. But some have gone home tube fed for months.

SelotapeChicken · 19/12/2025 13:49

Toddlerteaplease · 19/12/2025 13:42

We’ve had several kids in with swallowed batteries. Fortunately mostly removed without long term damage. But some have gone home tube fed for months.

we’ve sadly had a few go home with stomas It’s just so bloody easy to prevent and so unbelievably devastating

OP posts:
SelotapeChicken · 19/12/2025 13:49

FadedRed · 19/12/2025 13:28

I wonder if MNHQ could ‘sticky’ this post for a while to save people having to keep bumping it. I will report my post and see what they say.

Great idea!

OP posts:
nearlylovemyusername · 19/12/2025 13:59

I remember your similar thread a year ago or so. Thank you OP.
Wishing you a quiet Christmas

Toddlerteaplease · 19/12/2025 14:39

We’ve had kids have to have laparotomies after swallowing magnets. Although mainly teenagers.

SelotapeChicken · 19/12/2025 14:47

Toddlerteaplease · 19/12/2025 14:39

We’ve had kids have to have laparotomies after swallowing magnets. Although mainly teenagers.

The magnets that smash together scare the 💩 out of me as well because they do that in the bowels too but I thought my post was long enough 🤣

OP posts:
ErrolTheDragon · 19/12/2025 14:55

Toddlerteaplease · 19/12/2025 14:39

We’ve had kids have to have laparotomies after swallowing magnets. Although mainly teenagers.

wtf would a teenager do that?

SelotapeChicken · 19/12/2025 15:35

ErrolTheDragon · 19/12/2025 14:55

wtf would a teenager do that?

Have you met any teenage boys?

swallow these and I’ll buy you a coke/ chocolate bar/ insert whatever thing teenage boys can buy on the way home!!

OP posts:
Probablyshouldntsay · 19/12/2025 15:49

Jesus Christ. Thanks OP ❤️

Toddlerteaplease · 19/12/2025 16:05

@ErrolTheDragon self harm.

ErrolTheDragon · 19/12/2025 16:08

Toddlerteaplease · 19/12/2025 16:05

@ErrolTheDragon self harm.

Bloody hell. Sad

wizzler · 19/12/2025 20:53

Bump

Bedismyhappyplace · 19/12/2025 23:06

Bumping

WeightLossGoal2024 · 20/12/2025 00:21

Thank you for everything you do and raisins awareness.

bumping

TessoftheDobermans · 20/12/2025 13:35

Bumping

SelotapeChicken · 20/12/2025 14:50

It’s so nice to see people have taken this in the way I intended!

OP posts:
TessoftheDobermans · 20/12/2025 18:11

With the best will in the world, I really hope my grandchildren never meet you when you're on duty!

As a pp said earlier, I hope you and your colleagues have a very Quality Street Christmas & New Year

NeverDropYourMooncup · 20/12/2025 18:41

SelotapeChicken · 18/12/2025 01:39

I really had never considered that people would take batteries out to save the charge !

My NHS issued one doesn't have an on/off switch. The only way to not have it running overnight is to open the compartment (which is a complete git to do, by the way - ideally, you'd need child sized hands to do it, ironically enough) and then place it on one side so that the battery doesn't fall out of the cradle and disappear somewhere between table and floor level.

Maybe the negotiations with the manufacturers to supply hearing aids should be contingent upon providing rechargeable ones for no additional cost?

Bedismyhappyplace · 20/12/2025 21:10

Bumping

SelotapeChicken · 21/12/2025 00:38

NeverDropYourMooncup · 20/12/2025 18:41

My NHS issued one doesn't have an on/off switch. The only way to not have it running overnight is to open the compartment (which is a complete git to do, by the way - ideally, you'd need child sized hands to do it, ironically enough) and then place it on one side so that the battery doesn't fall out of the cradle and disappear somewhere between table and floor level.

Maybe the negotiations with the manufacturers to supply hearing aids should be contingent upon providing rechargeable ones for no additional cost?

That’s absolutely insane. I’ve added it to my list of things to investigate

OP posts:
Jammymare · 21/12/2025 06:53

SelotapeChicken · 21/12/2025 00:38

That’s absolutely insane. I’ve added it to my list of things to investigate

It’s the same for children’s hearing aids. My daughter had ‘lockable’ battery drawers on all her hearing aids until she was two that could be opened with a fingernail. Thankfully the ones she has now lock automatically when closed and need a special tool to open the battery drawer, but we do need to take the batteries out to turn them off still.

NeverDropYourMooncup · 21/12/2025 09:35

Jammymare · 21/12/2025 06:53

It’s the same for children’s hearing aids. My daughter had ‘lockable’ battery drawers on all her hearing aids until she was two that could be opened with a fingernail. Thankfully the ones she has now lock automatically when closed and need a special tool to open the battery drawer, but we do need to take the batteries out to turn them off still.

Needing a special tool sounds equally difficult from the point of view of a user, as it means fiddling around and potentially dropping batteries (the little sticker tabs haven't stopped me from sending some skittering across the floor before now). Not all parents will have perfect dexterity or eyesight, after all.

I think what we need are all rechargeable ones with a standard charger connector and power supply, like how so many items - including earbuds - are largely USB-C. This would be good both at home and school/nursery, as a child whose HA has died could have it safely recharged at school without risk to them or other children who could potentially access the batteries as well.

They should also be able to be fully controlled by both iPhone and Android - when I was prescribed mine, the first question was 'what phone do you have?' and the second was 'any chance of you buying an iPhone soon?'. It would also remove the ongoing cost/inconvenience to either the NHS or users of having to purchase/supply batteries and have packs of them hanging around at home or in the little case with spare tube, cleaner and cones.

I'd like it if in the interests of safety, the HA provision actually improved for users - seeing as there is such a significant bargaining power in the volume of purchases made by the NHS that the prices paid are significantly lower, it shouldn't be the case that users are put in a position where being able to hear better also creates a very real and serious risk to children or people with disabilities (and animals).

grumpygrape · 21/12/2025 10:06

SelotapeChicken · 21/12/2025 00:38

That’s absolutely insane. I’ve added it to my list of things to investigate

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.