Stoke-on-Trent mum's plea to keep children away from button batteries
It's after her daughter tragically died after swallowing a small battery back in 2021
A mum from Stoke-on-Trent whose little girl died after swallowing a button battery is sharing a heartfelt plea for parents to be extra careful this Christmas.
Harper-Lee Fanthorpe, aged two, tragically died after swallowing a small battery from a remote control back in May 2021.
"The last thing Harper ever said was mummy I need you." said Harper's mum Stacy-Marie, from Bentilee.
"She only ever said that when she was poorly. I wish I'd checked, but now I'm doing this because I am in that position.
"In hospital they turned around and said we've found a button battery in her chest and it's burnt through her oesophagus, and it's burnt through one of her arteries and gone to her heart.
"What we saw from Harper has actually given me PTSD, so I don't want any other mums, dads, or parents to ever go through or see what we had to see.
According to the Child Accident Prevention Trust, in recent years two children have died after swallowing a button battery. Many more have suffered life-changing injuries.
Doctors are increasingly concerned. But far too many families simply don’t know, either about button battery dangers or the wide range of products powered by button batteries in our homes.
Stacy said: "If you're ordering things off the internet that contain button batteries, they're not properly safety checked. The remote Harper had the button battery from was from the internet. There was no screw, so when she pulled the back of the remote out it just fell out.
"There's Christmas toys. Crackers. I know people will be buying Christmas books that make noises, if you look on the back of there button battery. Some have screws in but some haven't, if they haven't just discard. Chuck them away.
"Button batteries come in all shapes and sizes, the one Harper swallowed was the size of a ten pence piece. All I want to say to parents is just check, check and check again."
Katrina Phillips, Chief Executive of the Child Accident Prevention Trust says:
“A button battery, particularly a big, powerful lithium coin cell battery, can kill a young child in under two hours if it gets stuck in their food pipe. If the child survives, the injuries can be life-changing.
“Crawling babies up to preschoolers are at most risk. But most parents don’t know about the dangers. Please use our free resources to get the word out and prevent more tragedies.”