British parents reckon they have learned ‘life-saving’ lessons from listening to school gate chat among their kids at pick up, according to research.

And the most commonly shared item of advice is to always keep small items, such as lithium coin batteries, out of reach of children. 

Three in 10 parents claim they have been informed of the crucial learnings when picking up their kids from school, with loose lithium coin batteries having the potential to be fatal if swallowed.

But new research from Duracell shows the knowledge of the dangers that they can pose is low, meaning the number of serious child ingestion accidents of these batteries is on the rise.

In fact, 40% of UK parents have lithium coin batteries at home yet 24% rarely or never check the devices that use them, to see if they could be accessible to their children.

This summer, Duracell is raising awareness of the dangers of lithium coin battery ingestions by encouraging parents and caregivers to #Take10 - take 10 minutes to check devices in their homes for loose or accessible lithium coin batteries, and then tell 10 others to do the same. 

And Sarah Chapman, Category Director at Duracell said: “Our ongoing #Take10 campaign highlights the concerning issue of lithium coin battery ingestions, year on year, encouraging parents to simply take 10 minutes to check that their homes are safe. 

“At Duracell, child safety is paramount, so we have taken further action by applying various child safety features on our lithium coin battery range including tamper-proof packaging, engraved warnings and a Bitrex coating – the world’s most bitter substance that is highly effective at discouraging babies and toddlers from swallowing a lithium coin battery if they accidentally put it in their mouth.”

Duracell’s ‘#Take10, Tell Ten’ campaign seeks to harness ‘peer power’ when it comes to spreading the word about child safety. 

According to research, conducted by the world’s leading battery manufacturer, 42% of parents share child safety advice via word of mouth and over two thirds (76%) of parents have actioned advice they heard about from other parents at the school gate, like installing a child safety feature. 

Interestingly, 36% of parents value the opinion of another parent more than what they read on a website with 39% of parents feeling confused about advice to follow when scrolling for child safety tips online. 

When researching new products for their children, 31% of parents always seek a second opinion from family and friends.

Lithium coin batteries are integral to many gadgets around the home such as Apple Air Tags, fitness trackers and car key fobs but due to their small size, they are easily ingested. If a young child manages to get access to one and swallows it, it may get stuck in their oesophagus and the consequences can be serious: saliva may close an electrical circuit and the cell may release its current, damaging the surrounding tissue. 90% of ingestions occur due to loose or in-device batteries  and if not detected early enough, internal bleeding might occur, which could lead to a fatal outcome in as little as two hours. 

The awareness of the risks related to lithium battery ingestion among parents is low in the UK and across Europe. To further mitigate cases, Duracell has partnered with the European Association of Paediatrics to encourage parents, caregivers, paediatricians, and Health Care Practitioners to educate themselves on the risk of ingestions. The partnership will see Duracell and the EAP develop educational campaign materials including; informative videos, social media content, conference presentations as well as brochures which are being distributed across paediatric offices and hospital departments, maternity programmes, and conventions.

Dr Camilla Kingdon at the EAP said: Amid a growing number of lithium coin battery ingestions in our clinics, I am fully endorsing all effective means to raise the awareness amongst UK parents. As a paediatrician, I would encourage all moms and dads to take 10 minutes to check that devices in their homes are safe, secure, and unreachable. If you suspect a child has swallowed a lithium coin battery, take them to a paediatric emergency immediately as time is critical.

This Child Safety Week, become a school gate hero - #Take10 minutes to check your home is safe, then ten tell others to do the same. 
Top safety advice parents have received at school gates:
1.    Always keep small items such as batteries and coins clear.
2.    Always keep your front door locked so children can’t let themselves out.
3.    Don’t let children play with anything plugged into the mains when out of sight.
4.    Don’t let children play with anything with a long cable when out of sight.
5.    Specify a safe place to keep batteries that are out of harm’s way.

For more information on Duracell’s lithium coin battery safety features, visit: https://www.duracell.co.uk/technology/lithium-coin-battery-safety/