Button Batteries

“It turns out this is one of the most damaging and dangerous things that my beautiful boy could have ever swallowed. It does not get much worse than this.” – Mother of an 8 month-old baby boy.

BIPBA

What you need to know …

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The risks

Button batteries, particularly big, powerful lithium coin cell batteries, can badly hurt or kill a small child if they swallow one and it gets stuck in their food pipe. Find out more.

Top tips

Here we share our top tips for keeping children safe from button batteries.

Where are they?

Typically, children find spare batteries in a drawer, get hold of ‘flat’ batteries left on a worktop or take batteries from products. Find out where they are in your home.

In an emergency

IF YOU SUSPECT YOUR CHILD HAS SWALLOWED A BUTTON BATTERY, ACT FAST. Take them straight to the A&E department at your local hospital or dial 999 for an ambulance.

Free Downloads

flyer & poster

Flyer and poster

Our hard-hitting flyer, available in English and Welsh, explains the risks and offers safety tips and emergency advice. Our colourful poster prompts parents to hunt for button batteries in their homes.

Button batteries session plan

Session plan

Our dual-purpose flashcard and session plan is designed to help you run an engaging workshop with parents. With a visual aid, workshop outline and safety facts and tips to share.

New English fact sheet

Our fact sheet provides essential advice about the risks to children, where to look for button batteries and what to do in an emergency. Download and share.

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Button battery fact sheets – 17 community languages

Our A4 fact sheet translated into 17 community languages: Albanian; Amharic; Arabic; Bengali; Bulgarian; Cantonese; Dari; Mandarin; Pashto; Polish; Punjabi; Romanian; Somali; Tigrinya; Turkish; Ukrainian, Urdu.

What you can do …

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Session resources

Use our ready-made resources to run an effective group discussion with parents, whether virtual or face-to-face. Our free film, session plan and poster will help parents recognise dangers and make their homes safer.

‘Flat’ button batteries dangers

Used, ‘flat’ lithium coin cell batteries can still cause serious damage to a child’s food pipe if swallowed. Help us spread the word.

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A treasure hunt for grown-ups #BatteryHunt

Most parents don’t know about the dangers or where batteries are in their homes, so they can’t keep their children safe. That’s why we’re launching a Button Battery Treasure Hunt.

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Images and resources

Help us spread the word about the dangers of button batteries by using and sharing our copyright-free photos and free downloadable illustrations, educational resources and videos.

News

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New campaign launched to inform families on battery safety

The Child Accident Prevention Trust (CAPT) and the British and Irish Portable Battery Association (BIPBA) join forces to reduce the risks of children swallowing button batteries.

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Fidget spinners – a hidden hazard in the latest playground craze

Fidget spinners are the latest playground craze but doctors have raised concerns about cheap fidget spinners with LED lights powered by small button batteries.

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‘Devastating deaths’ – safety body issues recommendations on button batteries

The Healthcare Safety Investigation Branch publishes its independent investigation into the death of a three-year-old who swallowed a button battery. Its report makes recommendations about public awareness, product safety and clinical decision-making.

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How to be a safety savvy shopper for your family this Christmas

We’ve more choice for Christmas shopping than ever before, with Black Friday deals and bargains galore. Here’s our advice on making sure those bargains don’t bring more than we bargained for.

Christmas unwrapped … safely

Everything is a toy when children are little. With all the excitement, it’s easy for little hands to find things that are dangerous. Here is our low-down on unwrapping Christmas safely.

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Be aware of button battery risks this Christmas

Tips to help keep your family safe from button battery dangers this Christmas.

Button battery lodged in baby’s food pipe

Battery lodged in baby’s food pipe for four months

11-month-old Sofia-Grace was rejecting solid food because she had a button battery lodged in her throat for four months. The outcome could well have been catastrophic.

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Warning to parents after battery death of two-year-old

Staffordshire Safeguarding Children Board has issued a warning to parents after the death of a toddler who swallowed a button battery.

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New safety standards for button batteries

A campaign to prevent children being killed and injured by button batteries has reached a significant milestone thanks to ground-breaking new safety standards.

Mother’s plea after daughter dies swallowing button battery

The mother of two-year-old Harper-Lee Fanthorpe has issued a heartbroken plea to other parents, urging them to check their homes for button batteries.

Button batteries can kill – help us keep babies, toddlers and preschoolers safe

In the last 10 months, two children have died after swallowing a button battery. Many more have suffered life-changing injuries. Use our free resources to help spread the word.

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