Light-up children’s shoes that run on a button cell or coin battery are covered by a federal safety standard, 16 CFR part 1263, which has applied to products made or imported since October 23, 2023. When CPSC adopted the rule, it named light-up shoes as an example of a children’s product that must meet it. The first footwear recall in our archive under that standard came on June 25, 2026.
Reese’s Law in one paragraph
Reese’s Law, Public Law 117-171, was signed on August 16, 2022. In the words of the Federal Register notice that put it into effect, its purpose is “to protect children six years old and younger” from the hazards of swallowing button cell or coin batteries. The law told CPSC to set two kinds of rules: performance requirements for battery compartments, so that children that age cannot get the battery out during “reasonably foreseeable use or misuse,” and warning label requirements. A separate section of the law, on child-resistant packaging for the batteries themselves, took effect by statute on February 12, 2023.
How the rule reaches shoes
CPSC met the law by adopting a voluntary standard, ANSI/UL 4200A-2023, as mandatory. The rule text at 16 CFR 1263.3 is one sentence: each consumer product containing button cell or coin batteries “shall comply with ANSI/UL 4200A,” the version approved on August 30, 2023. The rule was published on September 21, 2023 and took effect October 23, 2023, with a period of enforcement discretion that ran through March 19, 2024.
Toys get a different route. Reese’s Law exempts toy products that already meet the battery rules in the federal toy standard, 16 CFR part 1250. The Federal Register notice puts light-up shoes on the other side of that line. Children’s products with button batteries that are not toys must meet the new rule, and “An example of such products would be children’s apparel, such as shoes, that light up and use a button cell or coin battery as a power source.”
What the battery compartment has to withstand
The Federal Register notice summarizes the UL 4200A requirements in two tables, one for products whose batteries are meant to be replaced and one for products whose batteries are not.
For a replaceable battery, the compartment must be secured in one of two ways:
- it needs a coin, a screwdriver or another tool to open, with screws that stay attached to the cover when loosened, or
- it needs “at least two independent & simultaneous hand movements” to open, which cannot be combined into a single movement with one finger.
For a non-replaceable battery, the battery must either sit inside an enclosure that passes the same abuse tests, or be secured by soldering, rivets or similar means and stay put when a test hook pulls on it with about 20 newtons (4.5 pounds of force) for 10 seconds.
The abuse tests are specific. Among them: drops from 1 meter (39.4 inches) onto hardwood, three impacts with a steel sphere, a crush test at 330 newtons (74.2 pounds of force) for 10 seconds, and compression, torque and tension tests borrowed from the toy standard. For soft materials, a seam tension test pulls with 70 newtons (15.7 pounds of force) before a probe checks whether the battery can be touched. In a response to comments, CPSC noted that “battery compartments in light-up clothing are frequently stitched into the clothing,” and said the rule does not dictate how a maker designs the compartment, only how it must perform.
What the warnings must say
Reese’s Law, as quoted in the Federal Register notice, requires warnings that clearly identify the ingestion hazard and tell consumers, as practicable, “to keep new and used batteries out of the reach of children, to seek immediate medical attention if a battery is ingested, and to follow any other consensus medical advice.” The warnings go on the packaging of the product, in any instructions or manual that come with it, and, as practicable, on the product itself where you would see it when you reach the battery. If the battery is not meant to be replaced and the product cannot practicably be labeled, the information goes on the packaging or instructions instead.
CPSC’s FAQ restates the placement: “The packaging for the overall product must bear a warning,” the product itself “must bear a warning, if practicable,” and accompanying instructions “must include all of the applicable warnings.”
The 2026 Raychy sneaker recall
CPSC recall 26-578, dated June 25, 2026, covered about 500 pairs of Raychy Children’s Light Sneakers Unisex, sold on Amazon.com in January 2026 for about $28. The sneakers came in red, black and blue with a spiderweb pattern on the uppers, soles that light up when walking, and a “Fashion” label printed on the tongue. The importer was Shenzhen Qicheng Trading Co., Ltd., doing business as Carina and Rambo, of China.
The notice gave two separate violations. First, the lithium coin batteries “can be accessed easily by children,” which breaks the compartment requirements. Second, “the packaging and product do not have the warnings required under Reese’s Law.” No incidents or injuries were reported.
The remedy did not involve sending the shoes back. Owners were told to stop using the sneakers, cut the shoe tongue, write “RECALLED” on both sides of the sneakers with a permanent marker, and email a photo to the firm to get a refund. The notice adds that button and coin batteries are hazardous and “should be disposed of or recycled by following local hazardous waste procedures.” The full entry is on our Raychy sneaker recall page.
A light-up boot recalled for another reason
Not every light-up shoe recall is about the battery. In December 2020, Washington Shoe Company recalled about 77,400 pairs of Western Chief toddler light-up rain boots, sold only at Target from May through October 2020 for about $25. The light was in the heel, but the problem was the handles: the rivets attaching them “can detach, posing a choking hazard.” The firm had 115 reports of handles and rivets coming off and 2 reports of children putting rivets in their mouths, with no injuries. Owners could return the boots to any Target store for a full refund. See our Western Chief rain boot recall page.
Those two are the only light-up shoes among the 60 children’s footwear recalls in our archive, and Raychy is the only one about a battery. Our children’s recalls list and the choking hazards page put both in context with the more common small-parts cases, which are covered in our guide to choking hazards on kids’ shoes.
If a battery is swallowed
This site does not give medical advice, so here is what CPSC itself says. Its button battery fact sheet states: “If you suspect that your child has swallowed a button battery, immediately seek medical attention.” It lists the 24-hour National Battery Ingestion Hotline at 202-625-3333 and the poison center line at 1-800-222-1222, and warns that a battery lodged in the throat “can cause chemical burns in as little as two hours.” The Raychy notice adds that swallowed button or coin batteries “can cause serious injuries, internal chemical burns, and death.”
Checking a pair at home
The rule gives you three things to look at on a light-up shoe:
- The warning. The packaging, the instructions and, where practicable, the shoe itself should carry a battery ingestion warning. A missing warning was one of the two violations CPSC cited for the Raychy sneakers.
- The compartment. A replaceable battery should need a tool or two simultaneous movements to reach. A non-replaceable one should not be reachable at all.
- The recall lists. Compare the brand, labels and colors with current notices. Our guide on how to check a shoe recall shows how to match a pair to a notice.