From obscure battery sizes to sneaky swaps between remote controls, and quietly “borrowing” batteries from toys when the kids aren’t looking — every parent knows the strange love/hate relationship we have with batteries. Here are ten reasons why.
Sign up for our free newsletter for more parenting stories, ideas and a laugh at the everyday chaos of family life — it’s completely free.
We’ve all been there: the night before a birthday, a special occasion, or Christmas Eve, when we realise the batteries weren’t included, we don’t have the right size, or we forgot to charge them in time for the big present.
Parents really do have a love/hate relationship with batteries — here’s why!
#1. Relations Who Buy Noisy Toys
Aunts and uncles have a lot to answer for. There’s always one relative determined to find the loudest, most attention-grabbing toy in the shop for your kids every Christmas and birthday.
Steering wheels that beep and play music, computers with chatty voices, dance mats, even a toy car with its own onboard radio — all adored by the kids, all quietly dreaded by the parents. Many of us have been known to slip the batteries in the wrong way round, just to buy a little peace and quiet.
Top parenting tip: Turning the batteries around is a much better solution than taking them out completely — kids notice missing batteries fast, but it takes a lot longer to work out they’re just in backwards.
#2. Batteries Not Included
Christmas Eve has a way of exposing every “batteries not included” toy in the house. Why didn’t anyone check the box when it went into the wardrobe months earlier?
True story: a friend once turned up at 11pm on Christmas Eve looking to borrow batteries for a keyboard she was certain had come with its own.
#3. Recycling Batteries
One of the most frustrating habits is when kids toss old, dead batteries back into the battery drawer once they’ve found fresh ones. Short of testing every single battery in the drawer, it becomes a genuine guessing game trying to figure out which ones still have life in them.
The fix? Keep a separate battery recycling box right beside the battery drawer, so dead batteries never get mixed back in with the good ones.
#4. Obscure Battery Sizes
Isn’t it always the way that a toy needs an odd number of an oddly specific battery size — one that only ever comes in packs of even numbers? So you end up buying more than you need, just to get the ones you actually want.
#5. Remote Controls
In most homes, at least one remote control has permanently lost its back cover, because the batteries are constantly on the move between the TV, the games console, the DVD player and whatever streaming box is currently in charge of movie night.
Recommended reading: 10 Quick Ways to Tidy Up the Playroom
#6. Battery Cheats
One member of our team has admitted to using tinfoil to turn an AAA battery into an AA battery in an emergency. We’re still not entirely sure how she managed it — but we admire the ingenuity.
#7. It’s Not Just Parents…
One granddad has confessed to switching off his hearing aid when younger grandchildren come to visit, then blaming a “dead battery” for his sudden selective hearing. So it turns out this love/hate relationship with batteries isn’t limited to parents at all.
#8. Battery Theft
Plenty of parents will admit to raiding their kids’ toys for batteries to keep their own gadgets running — a wireless mouse left switched on being a classic culprit — then blaming the toy’s sudden silence on “too much playing.”
#9. Secret Gaming
And then there’s the parent who gets a little too absorbed in a handheld game borrowed from the kids, playing it until the battery finally gives out. No judgement here — we’ve all been there.
#10. Low Battery Warnings
Finally, is there anything more annoying than a low-battery warning flashing away on a toothbrush, toy or game controller, even though the batteries clearly still have plenty of life left when you try them in something else?
What’s your experience with batteries and parenting life? Let us know in the comments below.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it okay to swap batteries between devices to save money?
Yes, plenty of families do this, especially with remote controls and small gadgets. Just keep an eye on battery types and sizes so you’re not damaging devices designed for a specific power source.
How can we stop old batteries getting mixed up with new ones at home?
A simple fix is to keep a small recycling box or container right next to your battery storage drawer, so used batteries have an obvious separate home rather than going back in with the working ones.
Are there ways to avoid the “batteries not included” surprise?
Checking the packaging when you buy a toy, and keeping a small stock of common sizes (AA, AAA) in the house, can save a last-minute scramble on a birthday morning or Christmas Eve.
Why do battery-powered toys always need such odd battery sizes?
It often comes down to how manufacturers design the toy’s power compartment. It’s frustrating, but keeping a small mixed stock of common sizes at home is the easiest workaround.
Related Articles
- 10 Quick Ways to Tidy Up the Playroom
- Funny Things Kids Say That Will Make You Laugh
- The Truth About Parenting: Things Nobody Tells You
Save This for Later
Batteries dying at the worst possible moment is one of those universal parenting experiences. Save this article or share it with a fellow parent who’ll relate — and browse our site for more honest, funny takes on everyday family life.
Don’t Miss Our Newsletter
Want more relatable parenting stories, activity ideas and family tips delivered straight to your inbox each week? Sign up for the free MyKidsTime newsletter — no spam, just useful (and sometimes funny) content for busy parents.
