I cannot be the only person who feels this way, but kids toys now need a ridiculous amount of batteries. It’s not one or two. It’s three, or four, or even more. So I asked Varta if they could help. I’ve worked with them before using the amazing power packs they make, so I figured Varta Rechargeable Batteries would be perfect.

This all started when I bought L a toy at Christmas that flagged up a warning before I completed the purchase. I was warned that this toy required 4 AA Batteries and 4 AAA Batteries. Yes one toy needed 8 batteries. 

I’m no fool, come Christmas time I make sure we have extra batteries in the house. Most my family give batteries with gifts too. Last Christmas we made it through by a whisker. I of course bought the 8 I was requested and also an additional 8, 4 AA and 4 AAA whilst I was at it. Christmas morning we made it through them all, plus spares already in the house and those that came to us with gifts.

It’s not just on the day either, it’s when they need replacing. Cheap batteries don’t last long and whilst expensive batteries have a better life there is no getting away from the fact they are expensive. Quite frankly I don’t want to be spending a fortune powering up a toy that is ultimately going to irritate me. As frankly the only toys that need power are designed to drive adults insane.

Flashing lights that are shoved in your face, half blinding you and leaving you seeing spots. Loud and ridiculous sounds effects, or worse music that you will end up getting stuck in your head for days on end. Movement that means they can be directed under your already battled scarred feet (thanks to the teeny tiny sharp toys scattered on the floor).

Why would I want to pay for this horror to continue. I don’t!

So for me the logical step seemed to be to get rechargeable batteries. I chose to try out the Varta rechargeable range as I have been so impressed with the power packs they make, power packs that can recharge a phone multiple times.

Let me start with the fact they also sent me a brand new power pack that will charge my phone or tablet up to four times! It is a bit on the heavy side but man I love this thing. On days out when I know I’ll be heavy on the phone use. Taking pictures, writing, tweeting and all the rest of it. On those days it is just perfect. The weight is too much for day-to-day emergency use, but if I’m out for the day I’ll have a rucksack full of all kinds of other stuff, so it really doesn’t make any odds. 4 charges, eek. That’s enough for me and the husband and I can be on Instagram as much as I want. Yey.

I like the fact you can get charging points that cover multiple battery sizes. My LCD Charger will do 4 AA or 4 AAA, even a combination of both. The charging point will power off the mains, a 12v car point or USB. Meaning you can recharge on the go. Perfect for torch batteries when you’re camping. It even came with 4 pre-charged AA batteries.

I also got a pack of rechargeable AA and AAA batteries. These also come out of the box ready charged. A full charge of 4 batteries from empty takes around 4 hours. The charger will then run on a trickle charge to keep them full and ready for the next use. It automatically shuts off when needed. Has a super easy to read LCD display. It will even turn itself off if you’ve put the batteries in the wrong way round or if it detects a problem.

The batteries themselves are fab. They last as long as those expensive batteries do, but then you can recharge them. You will get around 130 charges out of an AA battery and 175 per AAA battery. That is such a massive saving. Really massive.

A quick look on Amazon shows the 4 pack of AA‘s at £7.99, the AAA‘s are £4.99. Although both more expensive than the equivalent non-rechargeable battery, they are vastly cheaper than 100+ non-rechargeable batteries.

Even the Varta LCD Charger unit is on Amazon for only £30.98, considering that also comes with batteries, even the combined cost is still drastically less than buying all of those hundreds of batteries you now won’t have to.

We are slowly but surely replacing all our batteries with Varta rechargeable batteries. I am so impressed with the ease of use and battery life provided.

I’m hoping now all those toys, whilst still battery hungry, irritating destroyers of my sanity, will no longer be draining my bank account too.

Disclosure – I was sent my batteries and charger in exchange for an honest review, all opinions are my own.