Loose batteries should be stored in secure locations, and used batteries should be promptly placed somewhere children cannot access them before proper disposal or recycling.
Parents should also remember that batteries that no longer power a device may still cause severe injury if swallowed.
The message is simple: a battery does not have to be large to be dangerous.
Magnets: An Unexpected Medical Emergency
Another often-overlooked hazard involves small, powerful magnets.
These may be found in certain toys, jewelry, novelty products, desk accessories, or magnetic construction sets.
A single swallowed magnet requires medical assessment, particularly when its size or type is uncertain.
Swallowing multiple magnets, or a magnet together with a metallic object, can be especially dangerous.
Inside the digestive tract, magnets may attract one another through different sections of intestine.
That attraction can trap tissue between them, potentially causing serious internal damage.
The child may not immediately appear ill.
