If a button battery becomes lodged in a child’s throat or oesophagus, it reacts with saliva, creating a chemical reaction that produces a strong alkali. This can burn through tissue, potentially causing life-changing injury or death. The process begins immediately and silently.

Children may:

• Show no initial symptoms
• Appear to have a mild cold, tummy upset, or slight discomfort
• Only develop serious symptoms hours later, once significant damage has occurred

Every suspected ingestion should be treated as a medical emergency.

Symptoms are often subtle or mistaken for common illnesses. Practitioners should advise families to watch out for:

• Coughing, gagging or drooling
• Difficulty swallowing, eating, or drinking
• Chest or abdominal pain
• Sudden crying or irritability
• Vomiting blood (later stage)
• Black or tar-like stools (later stage)

Practitioners can guide families to:

Undertake Home Checks

• Inspect remote controls, toys, and decorations for loose or easily opened battery covers.
• Store spare batteries securely, out of reach of children.
• Dispose of used batteries safely; even depleted batteries remain dangerous.

Ensure Gift Safety

• Check toys and gadgets before giving them to children.
• Avoid inexpensive novelty items with weak or unlabelled battery compartments.

Maintain Supervision

• Be alert when younger children play with older siblings’ toys containing small batteries.