Thanks to Energizer for providing complimentary coin lithium products for review. All thoughts and opinions expressed here are strictly mine.
Do you have any coin lithium batteries in your house? These are the little round disc batteries that are often needed for things like remote controls, children’s books with sound, or flameless candles. They are just the right size to be tempting to a young child to put in their mouths and potentially swallow. These batteries can cause serious chemical burns in as little as two hours. So you can add this to your list of things to totally freak out about. You’re welcome.
But I don’t want to leave you with the bad news and then just walk away. Energizer has teamed up with the National Safety Council to share some tips on keeping kids safe from injuries like those associated with the ingestion of coin lithium batteries.
As parents, we have to do our part to keep batteries out of the reach of little hands. Energizer, for its part, has been the first battery company to voluntarily develop packaging for its 20 millimeter coin lithium batteries that meets the Consumer Product Safety Commission’s strict guidelines* for child-resistant packaging.
The Packaging Difference
We put Energizer’s packaging to the test recently by comparing just how easy (or difficult) it might be to open without a pair of scissors. We also had a different brand on hand to see if another brand had similar packaging or not. Here are our results!
Other packaging: paper backing. I was into it in about 15 seconds. I could see a baby or toddler drooling on this for just a little bit before the battery would just fall into their little mouths. Yikes!
Energizer package: plastic through and through. It is bendable, but that stuff just won’t break. I messed with it for a few minutes before snapping this shot.
And once I did cut into the package with scissors, I noticed that the batteries still weren’t “easy” to get to. Definitely doable without having to yell expletives, but these aren’t just going to accidentally fall out, I promise.
While we tested our product with adults, I do not believe that my 4-year-old would be able to open this package without a pair of scissors (and the rule in our house is that scissors are only used with adult supervision).
Win it!: In celebration of Engergizer’s safe packaging for coin lithium batteries, one lucky Stuff Parents Need reader will win the following:
- Two (2) packages of Energizer Coin Lithium batteries
- One (1) Energizer LED Nightlight (winner’s choice between Sleeping Beauty or Cars)
- One (1) Energizer Weatheready 2-in-1 LED Light
*Background on CPSC Child-Resistant Packaging
The CPSC imposes strict guidelines to determine if a packaging qualifies as effectively child-resistant. The packaging is tested with groups of children ages 42-51 months and also with senior adults ages 50-70. For a package to be child-resistant, a total of 80% of the children tested must not open the package in a full 10 minutes of testing. To make sure that adults are able to use a child-resistant package properly, 90% of adults tested have up to five minutes, and then another minute in a second test, to open and close the package (if applicable) so that it is child-resistant again.