Reese’s Law: Energizer implements changes to make button batteries safer for kids

LUBBOCK, Texas (KCBD) - A major change is coming to battery packaging, thanks to the persistence of one Lubbock mom.

You may remember Reese Hamsmith, the Lubbock toddler who died after she ingested a button battery back in 2020.

Although Reese’s story hits close to home for us here in Lubbock, she is just one out of over 70 kids who have died after ingesting a button battery, according to the US Consumer Product Safety Commission.

Those lives lost are exactly why Reese’s mother, Trista Hamsmith, has been fighting for change with the nonprofit Reese’s Purpose.

“We realized a button battery was missing from a remote, immediately took her to the hospital, got the X-ray and confirmation that she had in fact ingested that battery,” Hamsmith said.

That was just day one of what would turn into the Hamsmith family’s worst nightmare. Reese was just a year and a half old at the time, and died from her injuries six weeks after the battery was removed.

“When I was in the hospital in Houston, I felt it strongly placed on me that we were meant to do something and advocate for change. I imagined it with Reese by my side but that’s not how that went,” Hamsmith said.

Hamsmith says after Reese died, she started researching how common this situation was. That is when she created Reese’s Purpose and took her family story to legislators, pushing to make voluntary packaging standards mandatory for battery companies, a change that Energizer is now implementing.

“It is called the child shield there are three parts to it. Secured packaging that you have to use scissors to get in to, there is a bitter coating on it that works.” Hamsmith says.

The third preventative measure is color alert technology that dyes the mouth blue just seconds after the button battery comes in contact with saliva. A small change that Hamsmith says could have made a big difference in Reese’s case.

“It would be a way to quickly alert parents that something has happened, because with an ingestion time matters, burning starts within two hours, so to have the knowledge that it’s there and to act quickly could save a child’s life,” Hamsmith said.

Hamsmith is urging all parents to swap out those batteries, to Energizer’s new child shield button batteries. The batteries are set to roll out across stores in the next few weeks.

Reese’s Purpose doesn’t just fight for change, it also offers resources to families who are going through situations like Reese’s.

The nonprofit will be hosting a golf tournament in honor of Reese’s birthday on June 24, 2024, to raise money for families affected by accidental button battery ingestion.

Please click here for more information.

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