If your child has swallowed a button battery Call the National Battery Ingestion Hotline at 1-800-498-8666, immediately and seek medical help.
January has been our Health and Honey Month, and we want to close it out by sharing something every household should know. This is not a recipe. This is not a home remedy trend. This is life-saving information straight from poison control.
If a child swallows a button battery, honey can help buy critical time on the way to the emergency room.
The hidden danger of button batteries
Button batteries, also called coin cell batteries, are found everywhere. Remotes. Watches. Toys. Hearing aids. Thermometers. Greeting cards.
When swallowed, especially lithium coin batteries, they can lodge in the esophagus and begin causing severe chemical burns in as little as two hours. The damage can be catastrophic and sometimes fatal.
This is why prompt action matters.
What poison control recommends immediately
According to poison.org, if a button battery is swallowed or placed in the ear or nose:
• Call the National Battery Ingestion Hotline immediately:
1-800-498-8666
• Go to the ER right away. Do not wait for symptoms.
• If the battery was swallowed within the past 12 hours, the child is over 1 year old, and they are able to swallow:
- Give 2 teaspoons of honey every 10 minutes while traveling to the ER
- Do not delay emergency care to give honey
- Do not give anything else to eat or drink until imaging confirms the battery has passed the esophagus
Batteries stuck in the esophagus must be removed as quickly as possible. Batteries in the nose or ear must also be removed immediately to prevent permanent injury.
Why honey helps
Honey is not a cure, and it does not replace emergency treatment.
What it does do is coat the battery and slow the chemical reaction that causes tissue damage. Studies have shown honey can reduce the severity of injury while help is on the way.
That is why poison control specifically names honey, not syrup, not water, not milk.
This is exactly why real honey matters
This guidance only works if you have real honey on hand. Not corn syrup blends. Not artificially flavored substitutes.
Pure honey behaves differently, and in moments like this, details matter.
We always encourage folks to keep a jar of local, raw honey in their pantry for everyday wellness. But it is also one more reason honey belongs in a well-prepared home.
A final word
We hope you never need this information. Truly.
But if you do, knowing what to do in those first moments can change everything.
As we wrap up Health and Honey Month, this is a reminder that honey has been trusted for centuries, not just for flavor, but for its practical role in human health.
If you want to keep real honey on hand, you can find ours here.
And if you have children, please take a moment today to secure loose batteries in your home. Prevention is always the best medicine.
