New Energizer Battery Design Keeps Kids Safe #review #giveaway

As E has grown, I have tried to stay on top of baby-proofing the house. I put outlet covers up, erected gates, put locks on the toilet and cabinets, and made sure that he wasn’t allowed to play with any toys that had small parts that he might be able to choke on. What I didn’t realize was that there was a danger lurking in the house that I wasn’t even aware of. Batteries. Of course, I know that batteries should not be ingested, but what I wasn’t aware of was how dangerous they are.

Coin lithium batteries can be found around most homes in everyday items like remote controls, keyless entry devices for your car, flameless candles, and children’s books with sound. If ingested, these coin-sized lithium batteries can cause serious chemical burns in as little as two hours.  Yet in a survey conducted by Energizer_®, 62 percent of parents reported being unaware of the risk associated with coin lithium batteries.

In order to keep kids safer, Energizer_® has redesigned the coin lithium battery packaging. The most noticeable feature of the new packaging is a design that is very difficult for children to open, requiring scissors, meets the strict guidelines set by the Consumer Products Safety Commission* for child-resistant packaging.

Energizer_® has also added easily understood icons on the front of the package to let parents know to keep the batteries away from small children, along with detailed warning copy advising of the danger of ingesting coin lithium batteries and how to get help if they are swallowed.

Some additional features of the new packaging include:

• Removed easy open feature on major pack type
• Revised back panel copy to emphasize potential consequences by reducing the size of the UPC

  

• Added a warning to the front of the package to keep out of reach of children. 
• Made from more durable and flexible materials
• Has been tested for child resistance
• A warning Sticker with tab (for easy removal) applied to the back of coin lithium cells (inside pack) which helps to further reinforce awareness of the issue.

I decided to put this new packaging to the test. At first glance, the way both batteries are packaged is very similar.

I started with the competitor batteries. I tried opening the package with just my hands, tearing the package between the two batteries. I met with little resistance as the packaging is just made from a heavy paper. I am sure that this would be even easier to tear if it had gotten wet, such as from a baby sucking on the package. Once out of the package the battery did not have any tabs that you need to pull to activate it, or any warnings on the battery itself. It also left the other battery in the package, but exposed, so that it could easily be removed.

Then I tried the Energizer pack. Once again, I first tried tearing the package but to no avail. The only way I was able to get the battery out of the packaging was to use a pair of scissors.

What is even better is that after I cut the one battery out, the other four that were still in the package were still secure and would need to be cut out individually next time I needed a battery. Also, there is a pull tab on the battery itself used to activate it, and on the tab is another warning about these batteries and children.

For more information about the issue, how to prevent battery ingestion, and what do in the event a child swallows a battery, visit www.TheBatteryControlled.com.

Now for the fun stuff…

If you are anything like me, you will be wanting to replace all of your old batteries with ones that have this new packaging. One lucky reader will get an opportunity to get a head start on this since Energizer is allowing me to give away this great prize pack. The prize pack includes:

• 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

To win this awesome prize pack, enter through the form below. The giveaway will accept entries through 11:59 PM, Oct. 2, 2013.

 

*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.

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