There must be nothing more frightening than seeing your child battle a life-threatening injury.
When the child is 11 months old and is facing his last chance at survival after being operated on more than a dozen times, the stress and worry must be overwhelming.
The family of Devon Hacche, who severely burned the inside of his throat after swallowing a small button-sized lithium-ion battery last December, is facing this terrible reality.
This week, his mother, Amanda Hacche, told the Bay of Plenty Times her son was at the lowest point of his recovery.
Surgeons have removed Devon's oesophagus and put a saliva collection drain into his neck and closed the opening in his stomach. He is being fed through a stomach tube.
Devon, who will turn 1 on April 12, is a fighter and Ms Hacche is holding on to hope even though doctors have not given any indications on whether he will live through his ordeal. He had suffered seizures, brain bleeds and infections.
It turns out that swallowing one of these seemingly innocuous-looking batteries was one of the most dangerous things Devon could have ingested.
These batteries do not have to be damaged, crushed or chewed to cause serious harm. The battery sets up an electrical current when it comes in contact with body fluid and creates hydroxide.
Yet, before reading of Devon's ordeal I had no clue of the dangers associated with them. I recall giving my daughter a singing greeting card when she was a toddler, oblivious to the risk associated with the battery that powered its silly jingle.
There may have been a warning printed somewhere on the card but I didn't see it.
And that's what is so alarming about this case: it could happen to anyone.
In speaking openly about the devastating consequences for her son, Ms Hacche has no doubt alerted a lot of parents to a danger that is hiding in plain view in most homes.
His is not an isolated case.
In 2012, one child a month needed emergency surgery to remove an ingested button battery and at least 61 button lithium battery cases have been treated at Starship children's hospital between 2009 and February 2012.
Nor are these cases isolated to New Zealand. A 4-year-old Australian girl died in 2013 from internal bleeding after swallowing a button-sized lithium battery and last year a UK paediatrician warned of the dangers of lithium batteries after two children swallowed them and died.
Children are the highest risk group because of their tendency to put things in their mouth. This is compounded by the fact that, as in Devon's case, very young children are often unable to tell their parents what they have swallowed.
Yes, we are supposed to be aware of potential dangers but even the most vigilant caregiver would struggle to identify everything that could possibly harm their children.
It surprises me that these products are on sale given the damage they can cause.
We're told that manufacturers are investigating ways to make batteries and it might be a New Zealander who has come up with the solution. Jeongbin Ok, from Victoria University School of Design, has produced a prototype battery that expels a non-toxic colouring if it comes into contact with saliva so the caregiver will be alerted if a child swallows one.
Manufacturers need to implement these safety measures as soon as possible.