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With the advancement of science and technology, the things around us are only getting smaller and smaller. But with this heap of tiny facilitators, parents also need to grow increasingly conscious as to what might be the next thing landing into the mouth of their toddlers, and could cause unwanted consequences. 

There is a growing threat to children with tiny batteries or the so-called button batteries which can choke them or even cause death, a U.S report warns parents.

Other things around the house that could possibly pose a threat to the children could be devices such as toys, watches and hearing aids, which children tend to swallow. 

According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, between 1997 and 2010, around 40,000 children under 13 years of age have been treated for ingesting the tiny batteries. 

"This is a problem we have known about because of all the electronic devices people have," said Dr. Amanda Porro, a pediatrician at Miami Children's Hospital, who was not involved with the report, was quoted as saying by Medical Xpress. 

"Parents have to keep these devices away from small children," she said, adding that one of the most dangerous consequences of swallowing a button battery is having it stuck in the child's esophagus. 

"The child may just have vague symptoms," Porro said. "Unless you have seen the child swallow the battery it's very hard to diagnose and you have to have an x-ray to see the battery," she said. 

Porro further suggests that these batteries should be kept out of the reach of small children. 

"If a parent sees a child swallow a battery, they need to go to the emergency room straight away because within two hours there can be significant damage-it's a real emergency," she said.

According to the report, the number of children treated for swallowing the batteries has raised 2 and a half folds from 1998 to 2010 and there have been 13 deaths following such incidents between 2002 and 2010, the report suggested. Most of these deaths were caused due to the leakage of toxic substances from the batteries to the esophagus of the child.

The report said that once the batteries are stuck in a child's esophagus, there could be serious burns within two hours and fatal bleeding after two weeks. 

"Parents and caregivers should be aware of the potential hazards associated with battery exposure (particularly ingestion of button batteries) and ensure that products containing them are either kept away from children or that the batteries are secured safely in the product," the researchers wrote. 

"Because delays in diagnosis and treatment can lead to serious complications and death, children suspected of having ingested a battery should get prompt medical attention. It is also important to recognize that children might be reluctant or unable to say that they ingested a battery or gave one to a sibling," the researchers added.

The report was published in the Aug. 31 issue of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

CPSC has given certain recommendations for parents to prevent such mishaps apart from stressing on the mandatory child-proof battery compartments in toys and other child-related equipment:

• Remotes and electronic items powered by button batteries should be kept out of children's reach
• Dispose of the batteries carefully
• Do not give batteries to children for playing
• Use tapes to secure the battery compartment of electronic equipments and not screws.