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Quick answer: Keep decorations, fairy lights and anything with a button battery high up where your baby can't reach them. Keep glass baubles off the lower branches. Store spare and flat batteries in a sealed container in a high cupboard. If your baby might have swallowed a battery, go straight to A&E or call 999.

What parents need to know

If your baby has started crawling, the NHS notes they may try to climb onto things like sofas. That puts the lower branches of a tree, a basket of cards and the remote control within reach.

Button batteries are the hazard that's easiest to miss. The Child Accident Prevention Trust (CAPT) explains that a coin-sized lithium battery reacts with saliva to make caustic soda. If it gets stuck in a child's food pipe, it can cause serious injury in as little as two hours.

Where button batteries turn up at Christmas

The most dangerous button batteries are the larger lithium coin cells, about the size of a 5p piece. CAPT says the most common ones are 20mm across and are labelled CR2016, CR2025 or CR2032. Many products have loose backs, so a battery can fall out when the product is dropped.

In December, the list of places to check gets longer. CAPT lists these:

  • Battery fairy lights, string lights, nightlights and tea lights
  • Novelties like singing Santas and flashing wands
  • Musical cards and books
  • Small remote controls, car key fobs and key finders
  • Digital scales and thermometers
  • Light-up toys where the battery compartment isn't secured

Room by room before the decorations go up

Christmas decorations and novelties don't have to meet toy safety rules. RoSPA advises placing them high up and out of reach. Work through each area once your baby is moving.

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The tree and baubles

Children under 36 months are most at risk from decorations with parts that pull off and go in the mouth, RoSPA says. Keep small, glass and detachable baubles on the higher branches. The NHS advises never letting a baby or toddler hold anything made of glass.

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Fairy lights and cables

Check whether battery lights use button cells and whether the battery box needs a screwdriver to open. If it doesn't, keep the box out of reach. Tidy trailing cables from lights and new gadgets, because falls are the most common accident at Christmas.

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Candles, cards and heat

Keep decorations and cards away from fires, heaters and light fittings. Never leave a burning candle unattended. Battery tea lights avoid the flame, but they often hold an easy-to-open button battery.

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Novelties and ornaments

Read the small print. Labels like "this is a decoration, not a toy", "keep out of reach of children" or "for use as a decoration only" mean the item hasn't been made to toy safety standards.

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Spare and flat batteries

Batteries that seem dead can still hold enough charge to burn a child's food pipe. Keep spares and used batteries in a sealed container in a high cupboard, and recycle used ones promptly. Open multipacks over a table so none roll onto the floor.

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The big unwrap

Keep an eye on your baby while presents are opened. Check packaging for loose spare batteries. If a gift from a relative looks doubtful, quietly put it somewhere high until you can check it.

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Try this. Buy the batteries new toys need before Christmas Day so nobody is tempted to borrow one from a smoke alarm, and keep scissors handy for packaging instead of reaching for a knife.

Checking toys and gifts with batteries

Under UK toy safety rules, the battery compartment in a toy must be closed with a screw, or need two separate movements to open. CAPT warns that toys from online marketplaces may not meet these rules, because marketplaces aren't legally required to check that a toy is safe before it goes on sale. Toys from markets, discount stores and temporary shops may not follow them either, according to CAPT's guide to where button batteries are found. Buying from a reputable retailer, or searching for a known brand name, lowers the risk.

Gifts meant for older children cause problems too. The NHS advises keeping toys for older children away from babies and toddlers because of their small parts. Keep magnetic toys with small pieces away as well, because swallowed magnets can stick together in the intestines. If you have older children, the Office for Product Safety and Standards suggests explaining why they shouldn't play with button batteries or give them to younger brothers and sisters.

A cute baby exploring magnetic toys on a cupboard, illuminated by natural light indoors.

If you think your baby has swallowed a button battery

Take your baby straight to A&E or call 999 for an ambulance, even if they seem fine. Don't wait to see if symptoms develop. CAPT explains that there are no specific symptoms when a battery is stuck. Signs can come and go, and harm can happen before anything shows.

Tell the hospital doctor that you think your baby has swallowed a button battery. If you can, take the packaging or the product it came from, so staff can identify the battery. Don't give anything to eat or drink, and don't try to make your baby sick.

Smaller batteries can also be pushed into ears and noses. The Office for Product Safety and Standards warns that this can cause serious injury if nobody notices.

Practical checklist

  • Hang small, glass and detachable decorations high on the tree
  • Check every light-up decoration and novelty for a loose battery compartment
  • Move remotes, key fobs and digital thermometers off low tables
  • Put spare and flat batteries in a sealed container in a high cupboard
  • Keep candles, cards and decorations away from fires and heaters
  • Watch the present opening and check packaging for loose batteries

Frequently asked questions

Should I give honey if my child swallows a button battery?

Honey shouldn't be given to children under 1. For older children, CAPT says UK doctors advise that getting to hospital quickly is the priority, unless the nearest A&E is a long way away. Searching for honey or trying to get a child to take it can delay emergency treatment.

Is it just the big lithium batteries I need to watch for?

The larger lithium coin cells, about the size of a 5p piece, are the most dangerous if swallowed. A button battery that gets into the stomach can still damage tissue, so treat any swallowed battery as an emergency.

Are battery compartments in toys always safe?

Not always. Toys from online marketplaces or discount stores may not follow UK rules, and older children can sometimes open secure compartments. If a compartment opens without a screwdriver, keep the toy out of reach.

Sources & further reading

General information, not individual medical advice. Speak to your GP, midwife or health visitor about your baby’s needs.

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