Getting Serious for a Minute
Posted by: LizzieWhat would you do if you saw this in your baby’s diaper?
Would you panic? I did. Monday morning, I jokingly tweeted about Timothy making a present in his diaper for me. When I changed him a few minutes later, what I found made my heart stop. Time slowed down. I had no idea what to do. I texted Jamie and immediately went online to see what I should do. After a quick search, I located the numbers for Poison Control and got on the phone with them, my doctor, and the National Button Battery Ingestion Hotline.
Timothy’s doctor asked us to come in immediately in order to give him a thorough examination and then we were sent to get a chest x-ray to make sure all of the battery had passed.
But were we in the clear?
Button batteries pose a huge health risk and can carry potentially life-threatening complications. I’ve been in close contact with the parents of Hazel, a sweet little girl who nearly lost her life when it was discovered that a button battery had lodged in her esophagus. They are now strong advocates for button battery safety and encouraged me to have further tests done on Timothy to make sure that there was no damage done if the battery he swallowed was stuck in his throat for any amount of time. According to research, even discharged button batteries can cause tissue damage after two hours. Complications may not present immediately and there have been cases where children were sent home after the battery was removed, only to hemorrhage after several days of home care.
Where did Timothy’s battery come from? I don’t know. He has three older brothers who have numerous toys that contain batteries. I know for a fact that there are a couple of those stupid talking greeting cards floating around the house. You can bet I’ve been making thorough sweeps of my home to make sure there aren’t any more of those batteries hanging out where little hands can get them. To a baby, that little battery looks like a nice, shiny Cheerio! And Timothy loves Cheerios.
Coincidentally, The CBS Early Show had a segment this morning about the dangers of button batteries:
It’s hard not to beat myself up about this, but I am so thankful that Timothy’s tests came back clear. Other families haven’t been so lucky. Sure, as mothers, we have so much to worry about, but I urge you to take a few minutes to double check those toys and electronic devices to make sure the batteries are secure. Keep remotes and things of that sort out of reach of your toddlers. It could save their lives.
If you believe your child has ingested a button battery, call the National Button Battery Ingestion Hotline immediately. They are available 24 hours a day. 202-625-3333
{x-posted on BlogHer}
Tags: button battery ingestion, safety
March 3rd, 2010 at 10:14 am
I’m so glad that Timothy is ok. I’ve been thinking of you two. So scary, and it could happen to anyone. Don’t beat yourself up over this hon, you’re an awesome mom!
March 3rd, 2010 at 11:31 am
Oh my goodness! That is really scary! Thank God that Timothy is okay and thank you for spreading the word!
March 3rd, 2010 at 11:52 am
OMG SO glad he is ok! Off to tweet and raise awareness!
March 3rd, 2010 at 12:10 pm
i am so glad he is ok!
most of the battery operated thomas toys we have gotten in the past take AA or AAA, but we got one recently that i noticed takes those button batteries. i was a little freaked out by it, because the boys can usually get those open pretty easy, but this one seems to be screwed in tightly. still it is important to know what toys have those tiny batteries in them.
lots of hugs to you and timothy, get soem rest you two. <3
March 3rd, 2010 at 12:30 pm
So so scary. Glad you blogged about it to bring more awareness. Glad the babe is doing better and hope he stays that way!
March 3rd, 2010 at 2:18 pm
How scary! I’m so glad he’s OK>
March 3rd, 2010 at 5:14 pm
im so happy that your timothy is ok! thank you for contacting me, and helping us spread the word about this terribly dangerous household item that is so common we dont even think about it anymore. one thing that the docs told us when hazel was in ICU is that this is so common, and they see huge spikes in battery injuries around the holidays, largely due to the singing greeting cards. they can be fatal before they even figure out whats going on, and can cause catastrophic damage- one other patient of our ENT doc, a four year old boy, put a AAA battery in his nose and within three hours LOST HIS WHOLE NOSE. the battery acid corroded and burned away all of the tissue. ALL batteries leak corrosive, its just that these button batteries are small enough to often be undetected, but the perfect size to lodge in the esophagus or intestines of a baby or toddler. another thing to consider is that the CPSC regulates childrens toys so that battery compartments must be secured with screws or similar, but that products meant for adults and not categorized as “toys” do not have the same regulations. its the non-toys that we all allow our kiddos to get their hands on that we have to be most vigilant about. hazel got her battery out of our DVD remote control. all our remotes are now wrapped in packing tape. im so glad to hear about your happy ending, and thankful that another loud, proud, strong mama is shouting about this from the virtual rooftops. its time the electronics industry started to regulate the safety of its own products. all my best to you and yours, amanda (hazels mama)
March 4th, 2010 at 10:15 am
wow! thank you for bringing this to our attention. sorry you had to go through this…
March 4th, 2010 at 2:44 pm
Wow! that is so scary!! I am glad he is okay!!
March 4th, 2010 at 8:21 pm
Oh my goodness!!!!!!!!!!!! That is terrifying!!
March 4th, 2010 at 8:48 pm
I am so glad that your baby is alright! I would have freaked too! Hugs to you both. I RT’d too
March 6th, 2010 at 4:38 pm
so very scary – I’m glad that he hasn’t had any ill effects! I’m going to RT also
March 7th, 2010 at 7:08 pm
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