Battery Safety
All about Reese’s Law
A federal safety law changed how hearing aid batteries are packaged. Here’s what it means, why your packs are harder to open — and how to choose the one that’s easiest for you.
What is Reese’s Law?
Reese’s Law is a U.S. federal safety law enacted in 2022 and named after Reese Hamsmith, an 18-month-old who died after swallowing a button battery. It requires child-resistant packaging and clearer warning labels on button and coin cell batteries — the same zinc-air cells that power your hearing aids.
The packaging rules apply to batteries imported after March 8, 2024. Every mainstream brand has redesigned its packs to comply, which is why the batteries you buy today are sealed more securely than the ones you bought a few years ago.
Harder to open is the point — not a defect
To meet the law, batteries now ship in rigid, child-resistant packs that often need scissors to open. If your new pack feels tougher to get into than it used to, that’s the safety design working — not damage. Please don’t send it back as defective; grab a pair of scissors, or pick one of the scissor-free options below.
Our battery options
Two ways to buy under the new rules — choose whichever is easiest for your hands and eyes.
Child-resistant packs
Rayovac · Duracell · Power One
Fresh, long-shelf-life zinc-air cells in the new child-resistant packaging required by Reese's Law. Sizes 10, 13, 312, and 675. You'll need scissors to open the pack — that's the safety design, not a defect.
Shop child-resistant packs→ZeniPower Scissor-Free Jar
No scissors required
A child-resistant twist-lock jar that meets Reese's Law without any rigid plastic to cut open. The easiest option if arthritis, limited hand strength, or low vision makes the standard packs a struggle.
Shop the Scissor-Free Jar→Keep batteries away from children and pets
A swallowed button battery is a medical emergency. Store batteries — and the devices that use them — well out of reach. If you suspect someone has swallowed one, call the National Battery Ingestion Hotline at 800-498-8666 right away.