A mother from Colorado is issuing a stark warning after her daughter ingested a battery from a Christmas present.

“Even the most attentive and caring parents can find themselves in this situation,” Jess Sandoval shared with ABC News. Her daughter has been under observation at Children’s Hospital Colorado since December 7.

The incident involved a button battery, which, due to its small size, is often found in numerous toys, particularly those with remote controls. Sandoval’s goal is to alert parents to the potential hazards these batteries pose while children unwrap their holiday gifts.

The battery Elana swallowed came from a light-up bracelet, one of the items given to children during a Christmas light show earlier that day.

Later that evening, as Sandoval and her five children were watching “The Grinch” on the couch, her four-year-old daughter, Elana, began to choke. Initially, Sandoval assumed Elana was simply coughing on some food, but when Elana began to cry, she revealed that she had swallowed a small battery.

Sandoval rushed her four-year-old to the hospital, vomiting up foam. When the battery mixes with saliva, it triggers a chemical reaction that burns internal organs, according to the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.

Elana underwent surgery the next day because the battery had burned a hole in her esophagus.

“[My children] had the bracelet on their hands, so I didn’t think anything of it, because the other toys have screws on them. … [then] I looked at her and she looked at me and I could tell she looked like she was gonna choke,” Sandoval explained, recalling the terrifying moment.

Doctors were able to remove the battery, but Elana was placed in the Intensive Care Unit and needed a feeding tube in order to eat.

“Her prognosis is guarded, as button batteries can cause continued expansion of inflammation and burn even after the battery is removed,” said Dr. Edwin de Zoeten, Elana’s doctor and director of the Pediatric Inflammatory Bowel Disease Center at Children’s Hospital Colorado, to ABC.

“This can lead to a bleed in larger vessels for up to 20-30 days after the battery is removed,” de Zoeten explained.

De Zoeten says lots of toys and objects use button batteries, but many don’t have a screw in place to protect children. If a child does happen to swallow a battery, De Zoeten advises parents bring them to the emergency room immediately while feeding them teaspoons of honey on the way.

“Christmas is coming. Make sure your little ones are careful with any toy that they have. It’s just that one little thing that can make a big difference with those children,” Sandoval said. “I don’t want that to happen to any other parent.”