When To Put Duracell Batteries Into Gifts…And When Not To!

[The following post is sponsored by SheSpeaks and Duracell.]

When I was a kid I loved gadgets (nope, nothing has changed!). If it was on my Christmas list, chances are it made noise, lit up, moved on its own, or all three. And for sure it needed batteries.

Batteries that we never seemed to have on Christmas morning!

I’m not sure what happened. I have a feeling that the gifts were probably purchased by my grandmother, who didn’t know enough to buy batteries too (she never was very good with anything electronic).

So, mixed up with my Christmas memories of presents and food and decorations are memories of tearing the house apart for batteries, stealing them out of whatever devices I could find, and begging my parents to go to the store to buy some (which of course they couldn’t do, because it was Christmas!).

When I got older and it was my turn to give gifts, I always made sure to include a pack of batteries. And it was always appreciated.

At some point it occurred to me that if the package for the toy I was giving could be opened without wrecking it, I could put the batteries in the toy before I wrapped it up! That was like instant gratification for the recipient: he could start using it right away!

However, I remember one time when my mom didn’t put batteries into a gift, and it was definitely the right move. A friend of mine had been visiting us with her daughter. On their last day my mom gave the little girl a great toy, a book that made about a dozen different noises as the story was read.

Knowing that my friend had a four-hour drive ahead of her, my mom told the little girl that the book took special batteries that they only had in Albany, where she lived. And then my mom slipped a four-pack of batteries to my friend, who was ridiculously grateful that she wouldn’t have to hear that book for the entire drive home. Yup, my mom is smart.

I keep my Duracell batteries organized in old dishwasher pod containers

We have a house full of battery-powered toys and games and remote controls and game controllers, and I make sure that we never run low on Duracell batteries – we never ever have to steal them out of one thing to put into another thing. I buy the biggest packs I can find, and put them strategically around the house, near where we need them the most. And, since they’re guaranteed to last for ten years, I don’t have to worry about buying too many at a time – the expiration date is printed right on each battery.

So, when you’re buying and wrapping Christmas gifts, don’t forget the batteries! And if you’ve already wrapped some toys without the batteries? They make great stocking stuffers!