UNITED STATES — If you suspect a child swallowed a button battery, go to an emergency department immediately and call the National Battery Ingestion Hotline on 1-800-498-8666. Do not wait for symptoms. A battery stuck in the food pipe (oesophagus) can cause severe injury within about two hours.
12 steps to take immediately
- 1. Treat a suspected swallowed battery as urgent. A missing coin battery, open battery compartment or a child’s report may be enough to act.
- 2. Call 1-800-498-8666. The US National Battery Ingestion Hotline can give specialist guidance; Poison Help is also available at 1-800-222-1222.
- 3. Go straight to an emergency department. A prompt X-ray is needed in most cases to locate the battery; do not wait to see whether it passes.
- 4. Call 911 if the child is choking, struggling to breathe, unresponsive or otherwise in immediate danger. Follow dispatcher instructions.
- 5. Do not make the child vomit. Vomiting can worsen injury or create aspiration risk.
- 6. Do not give ordinary food or drinks. The honey exception below is specific; otherwise keep the child from eating or drinking until medical guidance is provided.
- 7. For a child aged at least 12 months who can swallow normally, if ingestion was within the last 12 hours, honey may help. Give 10 mL (2 teaspoons) every 10 minutes, up to six doses, while travelling to the ER, if readily available. Do not delay departure.
- 8. Never give honey to a baby under 12 months. Do not give honey to a child unable to swallow, severely distressed, vomiting or with other circumstances making swallowing unsafe.
- 9. Find the battery packaging only if it is immediately available. A matching battery or product description may help experts identify the size and chemistry, but do not spend time searching.
- 10. Tell the clinician if a magnet or more than one battery may have been swallowed. Mention any drooling, pain, cough, gagging, vomiting or change in eating.
- 11. Follow the medical team’s X-ray and treatment decisions. A battery lodged in the oesophagus needs emergency removal.
- 12. Keep follow-up appointments and watch for complications. Report pain, bleeding, vomiting, fever or new swallowing and breathing problems immediately.
Do this now rather than reading further. The precise honey instructions above come from the National Capital Poison Center and the US Consumer Product Safety Commission; they do not replace urgent emergency-department care.
Button batteries are small, round batteries found in remotes, car keys, hearing aids, toys, musical cards, watches and other household items. Some look similar to coins or sweets. The most dangerous scenario is a battery becoming stuck in the oesophagus, where electrical current and chemical reactions can quickly damage surrounding tissue.
A child may have no early symptoms even when a battery is causing injury. This is why parents should not try to prove a battery was swallowed by watching for vomiting, pain or a change in breathing. If there is a credible suspicion, the emergency pathway is the correct one.
Find the answer you need
Why it is urgent · When honey can help · What not to give · At the emergency department · Nose or ear · Symptoms and complications · Prevention · FAQs · Sources
Why a button battery is different from a swallowed coin
A coin stuck in the food pipe is dangerous, but a button battery creates an additional threat. When it contacts moist tissue, an electrical reaction can produce highly alkaline material at the battery’s negative pole. This can cause caustic burns even without a leaking battery. The National Capital Poison Center warns that serious oesophageal injury can occur in as little as two hours.
Symptoms may include drooling, gagging, trouble swallowing, cough, vomiting, chest pain, refusal to eat, wheezing or noisy breathing. Some people initially appear entirely well. An X-ray helps determine whether the object is a battery and where it is; a small disc may look like a coin without careful inspection.
Larger lithium coin cells around 20 millimetres are especially associated with serious paediatric oesophageal injury, but smaller batteries can also cause harm. Do not use the child’s age or a guess about battery size to decide that home observation is sufficient.
The honey exception: who can receive it and exactly when
The National Capital Poison Center has a specific interim measure intended to slow tissue injury while a child is being taken to the emergency department. It is not a home remedy for avoiding hospital treatment. Honey must only be given when all relevant conditions apply: the child is at least 12 months old, ingestion was within 12 hours, the child can swallow safely, and honey is readily available.
When these conditions are met, give 10 mL, or two teaspoons, of ordinary commercial honey every 10 minutes, for up to six doses while on the way to the emergency department. Do not wait at home to complete six doses. If the child is unable to swallow or has become unresponsive, do not attempt oral dosing. Ask the Battery Ingestion Hotline for help where any detail is uncertain.
Honey is never appropriate for an infant younger than one year because of the risk of infant botulism. Honey should not be given when the suspected battery has been lodged for more than 12 hours or where swallowing is unsafe. The medical team may have additional instructions after X-ray imaging; do not substitute honey for clinician-directed management.
Why the honey advice is unusually specific
Research underlying the Poison Center guideline indicates that honey can slow the highly alkaline reaction around an oesophageal battery. It does not stop the process altogether and cannot remove the battery. This is why the specialists describe honey as an intervention on the way to definitive treatment, not as a reason to delay transport.
If you have no honey immediately available, leave for the emergency department without searching multiple shops. If somebody has already given food, water or another liquid, tell clinicians exactly what was taken and when; do not let guilt or uncertainty delay medical care.
Things not to give or do
- Do not induce vomiting. It does not safely remove the battery and may cause further harm.
- Do not give food or ordinary drinks while an oesophageal battery has not been ruled out.
- Do not give honey to a child under 12 months, or outside the specialist conditions.
- Do not give medicines to make the battery pass. Follow medical advice.
- Do not wait for a bowel movement before seeking assessment; the battery may still be in the oesophagus.
- Do not assume a quiet child is safe. Early injury may be silent.
- Do not place fingers into the throat to search for a battery you cannot see.
- Do not spend an hour finding the exact battery model. The ER and hotline can guide identification from what is available.
- Do not delay the ER for advice from a general web forum. Specialist consultation and imaging are time critical.
What happens at the emergency department
A clinician will evaluate breathing and swallowing, learn the suspected time of exposure, and decide what imaging is required. In most paediatric cases an X-ray is obtained promptly to locate the battery, including whether it is lodged in the oesophagus or has reached the stomach. Imaging may need to cover the neck, chest and abdomen.
If a battery is lodged in the oesophagus, it must be removed urgently, usually using endoscopic equipment under specialist supervision. The team may assess tissue damage and make a plan for observation or follow-up after removal. This may be necessary even if the child initially appeared healthy.
A battery that has moved beyond the oesophagus may sometimes pass without removal, but that decision depends on age, size, symptoms, location, whether magnets were swallowed and other factors. The specialist guideline contains detailed criteria; caregivers should not try to apply them without clinician or poison-centre advice.
Tell the emergency team if the child may have swallowed more than one battery, a magnet or an object mistaken for a battery. Magnets and batteries together can complicate assessment. Bring packaging or a matching battery if easy to obtain, but never let collecting evidence delay urgent care.
What if the battery is stuck in an ear or nose?
Button batteries placed in the nose or ear can also cause rapid tissue injury. The Poison Center advises immediate medical evaluation. Do not use nose or ear drops before examination, as liquid can worsen battery-related injury. Do not probe with cotton buds, tweezers or other household objects.
If you saw a child place a battery in an ear or nostril, note which side and the approximate time, then seek immediate clinical care. If there is trouble breathing, uncontrolled bleeding or another life-threatening sign, call 911. Let experienced clinicians remove the object safely.
What symptoms require follow-up even after treatment?
Tell clinicians promptly about fever, chest or abdominal pain, vomiting, blood in vomit or stool, difficulty swallowing, refusal to eat, noisy breathing, persistent cough or any new distress. The Poison Center warns that some serious oesophageal complications can develop after the battery is removed, so follow-up instructions matter.
A child who continues to drool or gag after an event may not simply be frightened. Such symptoms can indicate injury or another retained object. Seek urgent care rather than trying another food to push material down.
Keep a simple written record: estimated time of ingestion, first symptoms, hotline advice, honey doses if given, imaging, any removal procedure and discharge instructions. This helps when different clinicians or caregivers are involved.
Three common scenarios
The remote-control compartment is open and a battery is missing
If there is a credible chance the child swallowed it, treat this as suspected ingestion. Call the National Battery Ingestion Hotline and go immediately to an ER. Look at the matching battery size only if the information is already at hand. A missing battery with no witnesses is still worth emergency assessment.
A 9-month-old has been seen putting a battery into the mouth
Do not give honey because the child is under 12 months old. Call the hotline, arrange immediate ER care and follow emergency instructions. Do not attempt to make the baby vomit or swallow liquids.
A 3-year-old swallowed a battery an hour ago and is alert
Alertness does not make this safe. Call the hotline and head to the ER immediately. If the child can swallow safely and there are no contraindications, the official guideline permits 10 mL (two teaspoons) of honey every 10 minutes up to six times while travelling. Do not delay imaging or removal.
How to prevent another incident
- Keep loose coin and button batteries in locked or child-resistant storage, out of sight and reach.
- Check remotes, toys, scales, thermometers, key fobs and greeting cards for loose or damaged battery compartments.
- Prefer products with battery enclosures secured by screws or child-resistant mechanisms.
- Securely close battery compartments after replacement, following manufacturer instructions.
- Remove spent batteries promptly and keep them away from children while preparing proper disposal.
- Cover loose battery terminals with nonconductive tape before taking them to an appropriate battery recycling point.
- Never carry a loose button battery in the same container as children’s medicines or sweets.
- Teach older children and caregivers that batteries are not edible and can injure even without appearing broken.
- Keep the National Battery Ingestion Hotline number, 1-800-498-8666, accessible offline.
- Check that babysitters and grandparents understand that suspected ingestion requires immediate medical evaluation.
The US Consumer Product Safety Commission has a dedicated button-battery safety resource. Prevention is especially important because a battery can be swallowed in seconds and early symptoms may not reveal the danger.
Frequently asked questions
Should I go to the emergency department even if the child seems fine?
Yes. The Poison Center warns that serious oesophageal injury can occur quickly, often before obvious symptoms appear. Seek immediate assessment.
What is the US button battery hotline?
Call the National Battery Ingestion Hotline on 1-800-498-8666. Poison Help is 1-800-222-1222. Call 911 for immediate threats to breathing or life.
Can I give honey to a baby under 12 months?
No. Honey is not recommended for babies under one year. Follow the hotline and urgent ER care.
How much honey may be given to an eligible child?
The specialist guideline says two teaspoons (10 mL) every ten minutes, up to six doses, only for a child at least 12 months old who can swallow safely and ingested the battery within the prior 12 hours. Do not delay going to the ER.
Why not give food or milk to push the battery down?
Other than the specific honey exception, avoid food or liquids until clinicians establish the battery’s position. Trying to push it down is not a safe substitute for medical assessment.
What if it was a small hearing-aid battery?
Different batteries have different risk profiles, but identification and management should be directed by the hotline and medical team. Do not guess that any battery is harmless.
Can I wait for the battery to appear in stool?
Do not use home observation as your first decision. Clinicians may sometimes choose monitoring only after assessment shows it is appropriate.
Can a battery in the nose or ear cause injury?
Yes. It requires immediate medical attention; do not use drops or attempt improvised removal.
The emergency decision in one sentence
Suspected battery swallowed: call 1-800-498-8666, go to the ER immediately, do not induce vomiting, and follow the precise honey exception only when it applies. This is an emergency even without symptoms.
Official sources and further reading
Last reviewed: 4 November 2026. This is US-specific advice; the specialist hotline and Poison Help numbers may not work outside the United States. Check live emergency instructions and any updated local guidance; public safety advice may change.