Button Cell Batteries

We’re closing in on a month since Christmas. Among other things, that means it’s about time for battery operated toys to start dying all across the country. The unfortunate thing about this is that more and more toys are now using button cell batteries, and these aren’t exactly cheap to replace. The easiest place to find these sorts of batteries seems to be at the Target or Wal-Mart jewelry counter. Unfortunately, they typically sell for $2-something apiece. Given that a lot of toys take as many as three of these batteries, getting them back up and running can cost as much as the toy itself. So what’s a guy to do?

I was faced with this quandary myself a couple of years ago when our kids got some Rescue Heroes with battery operated backpacks. I had no idea that these things required button cell batteries until I popped open the battery door. Sure enough, they took three of these pricey little gems. I was, of course, reticent to drop eight bucks or so on batteries for a seven dollar toy. I also didn’t want to throw in the towel and just take the dead batteries out. That’s when eBay came to the rescue. As it turns out, you can buy bulk lots of these batteries (alternately known as LR44, A76, or AG13 batteries) for dirt cheap. I wound up snagging 60 such batteries (brand new, but generic) for around $10-$12, including shipping. Now we have a huge stash sitting in our refrigerator just waiting to be used.