A new national campaign is reminding parents and carers about the harm button batteries can do to a small child if they swallow them.

If a battery gets stuck in a baby or small child’s food pipe, it can burn through and badly hurt or even kill them.

Five top tips

The five top tips to keep children safe are:  

1. Look around your home for button batteries. Think toys, lights, remote controls and more.
   
   
2. Check for products with loose backs and button batteries that have dropped out.
   
   
3. Store button batteries in a safe place, up high and out of your child’s reach.
   
   
4. Dispose of used button batteries as soon as you can. ‘Flat’ or ‘dead’ batteries still hold enough power to badly hurt a child.
   
   
5. If you think your child may have swallowed a button battery, go straight to A&E or call an ambulance. Don’t let them eat or drink and don’t make them sick.
   
   

Used batteries

Used button batteries should not be disposed of in your household rubbish as they can cause fires. Supermarkets have collection point where you can drop batteries off for recycling.

You can find out more about button battery safety from the Child Accident Prevention Trust website.