Protect Your Little Ones: Keeping Kids Safe Around Batteries

Even though I’m not a parent yet, there are things I think about for when that time comes, some of which are safety related. Keeping children safe is probably one of the hardest things you can do when caring for a child, yet it’s the most important. The different stages of childhood come with different things to keep kids away from and the more mobile they get; I’ve heard it becomes harder. Some examples are electrical outlets when they learn to crawl and walk, laundry detergent pods when they can reach for things, and batteries that contain toxic matter. All in all, there are a million things children could get into, both good and bad, so let’s review some tips and tricks to keep them safe from the not-so-good items.

Whether you are a teacher, work in a school environment, or work with children on a regular basis, there are some ways to help keep them safe that you might not have thought of. Here are some examples of safety tactics to use to keep kids safe in their environment.

• Where there are stairs and young children, there should be a gate to prevent them from falling down the stairs or climbing up them. Whether you work in a daycare, a school where small children are present, or anywhere else that is baby-friendly, a gate is a great way to prevent accidents. Really, anything that can block access to the stairs can work, just make sure they can’t disassemble and/or get through the gate.
• Securing or locking cabinets where cleaning products and other hazardous materials are present can be a great way to prevent kids from getting into mischief and endangering themselves. A small child getting into some Clorox® Bleach or another kind of chemical will not go over well, so be sure to lock up those doors and keep those kiddos safe.
• Corner guards are a great tool to prevent little heads from bumping into sharp corners of tables. The pediatrician’s office, a preschool, or other places where little ones are crawling and running around can be good places to use these nifty items. Simply place them over any corners or edges of a table so that kids don’t bump their heads while they are standing up, and viola, no more bumps or bruises, (unless your child finds other items to collide with).
• “Keep small items out of reach of children.” That is something that seems to be written on anything with small pieces, but it’s true. Many items around the house can be a choking hazard for kids, so it’s best to clear those places where kids can reach them. An example of a small item that can easily get into the hands of children is batteries. Since a lot of children’s toys need batteries to operate, there could be a chance that they are lying around the house or in an area where children are present. To small children especially, batteries can look pretty tasty and fun to play with, so be sure to keep them put away. Maybe having a designated spot for them that is high up and out of reach can be helpful.
  

Speaking of batteries, Duracell® recently announced that its Lithium Coin batteries in sizes 2032, 2025, and 2016 will now contain a non-toxic, transparent, and bitter coating on the outside to prevent and discourage swallowing by children. How cool is that? The non-toxic coating contains Bitrex™, which is the most bitter substance in the world. Just for some background knowledge, swallowing a lithium coin battery can be extremely dangerous. It can burn the esophagus in as little as two hours due to the chemicals that make up the product. Children don’t always know what they are putting into their mouths and the amount of harm batteries can bring. To reduce this from happening as much as possible, reach for the batteries with the child safety feature. You’ll know which ones have the new feature just by looking at the package.

Do you know what else is cool about the new child feature that Duracell® is implementing? The batteries will also have child-safe packaging, which can help decrease the chance of a child opening the pack of batteries and getting into them. In fact, Duracell® made it so hard to open the coin batteries with bare hands, that I as a 23-year-old couldn’t even figure out how to do it without using scissors. It may or may not have taken me 20 minutes to get the batteries out of the plastic, but I eventually did it. Phew! Wow, they really thought of everything to keep kids safe, along with some adults too.

Protecting your little ones from every dangerous item can be challenging, but with the new safety features surrounding Duracell’s® Lithium Coin batteries, you can get a sense of relief. So #PowerSafely using the variety of sizes of Lithium Coin batteries that Duracell® offers and keep your children safe around batteries. After all, when it comes to lithium coin batteries, #BitterIsBetter.