This Unexpected Holiday Essential Is Something Every Parent Should Have on Hand

Being a parent during the holiday season requires a level of mental gymnastics that no one prepares you for. Buying and wrapping gifts, finding the ugliest sweater, showing teacher appreciation and enduring the seemingly endless trek between relatives’ houses—the checklist never ends. Not to mention, a lot of what comes into your home this time of year runs on coin lithium batteries (new toys, light-up decor, even the fireplace remote), and we’re willing to bet you don’t think to double-check every item that gets unboxed.

To help, we spoke with two pediatric experts about what to watch out for this season and the one essential you should always stock up on: Energizer_® Ultimate Child Shield™, the world’s only coin lithium battery that prevents burns if swallowed.

New toys are half the fun of the holidays, but according to Monique Contento, PA-C, a certified pediatric physician assistant at Allied Physicians Group^*, they’re also a big reason her practice sees more suspected coin lithium battery ingestion visits once the gifts start rolling in. The size to keep an eye on is the 20mm coin lithium battery (about the size of a nickel), and it’s tucked inside more holiday decor than you’d think: 

• On display: flameless candles and LED tealights, battery-powered fairy lights on garlands and wreaths, light-up ornaments 
• Remotes for the decor: many light strings, fireplaces and candles come with a small remote 
• Everyday items: key fobs, digital thermometers and bathroom scales 

Angela Cabarcas, MD, FAAP, a board-certified pediatrician at Bluebird Kids Health^*, flags decor specifically. “These often have easy-to-access [coin lithium] batteries that a small child can quickly open and put in their mouth,” she says. 

The busiest morning of the year deserves a solid game plan. Here’s a quick checklist to get you started: 

1. Check every battery cover: “Inspect all new gifts to see if [battery compartment covers] are secured with screws,” Dr. Cabarcas says. 
2. Stash the spares: “Store small batteries the same way you would store medicines or chemicals: behind a locked cabinet or high out of reach of small children,” preferably in their original packaging.  

If you’re heading to grandma and grandpa’s house, there’s a good chance they last baby-proofed decades ago. Bringing it up can be awkward, but it doesn’t have to be. “When visiting another home, there are some great ways to address this without coming across as accusatory,” says Contento. Simply mention that your child is really into holiday toys and is in the put-everything-in-their-mouth phase. Then suggest making the swap to Energizer_® Ultimate Child Shield™.

Even the most careful unboxing can’t change what came inside. Contento notes that the batteries packaged with new toys usually aren’t the newer designs. That’s where the swap comes in. Energizer_® Ultimate Child Shield™ is the world’s only coin lithium battery that prevents burns if swallowed. Grab a pack and pop them into new toys and decor before they get wrapped or set out.

Not every ingestion is witnessed, and it can be easy to second-guess yourself. If there is any concern that a child may have ingested a battery, Dr. Cabarcas recommends seeking immediate medical attention.

Your holiday to-do list is long enough, so make this one quick: Swap your batteries to Energizer_® Ultimate Child Shield™.

_{*Monique Contento,PA-C,  Dr. Cabarcas, Allied Physicians Group and Bluebird Kids Health are not affiliated with Energizer® batteries.}