What to do if your child swallows batteries?

Swallowing batteries is on rise! In most of the cases, the batteries are button batteries. This is common in children less than 6 years of age, mostly between 1 to 2 years of age. The batteries are there in toys, games, lights and remote controls. They fascinate the kids which makes them pop into their mouths as soon as they remove from the objects.

Most children who swallow button batteries end up being fine. However, rarely, the battery can get stuck in the mucus lining of the food pipe at the junction of the food pipe and the stomach causing serious burns or even a perforation. When the battery reaches the stomach, the acid can open the seal of the battery and cause release of toxic chemicals which are harmful to the body.

So what should one do if the child has swallowed button batteries? Give the child 1 to 2 tsp of honey if it has been less than 2 hours of ingestion of battery and rush to the Emergency Room. If it has been more than 2 hours, do not give any honey, just leave to the ER immediately. Do not give anything else, not even water through mouth. Least of all, do not make the child vomit as it can cause more harm than ingestion of battery itself!

As a precautionary measure, avoid buying toys with button batteries!