If you think your child has a UTI, call your health care provider. The only way to diagnose a UTI is with a urine test. Your health care provider will collect a urine sample. The method your health care provider uses will depend on your child's age and maturity.
You can buy a home urinary tract infection (UTI) test kit. They are available without a prescription at a drugstore or online. The home test kit contains specially treated test strips. You hold them in your urine stream or dip them in a sample of your urine.
Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are common in kids. They happen when bacteria (germs) get into the bladder or kidneys. A baby with a UTI may have a fever, throw up, or be fussy. Older kids may have a fever, have pain when peeing, need to pee a lot, or have lower belly pain.
If your child has any of the following, make an appointment with their doctor or nurse: Fever – Fever (temperature higher than 100.4°F or 38°C) may be the only symptom of urinary tract infection in infants and young children. Pain or burning with urination or frequent urination. Back or abdominal pain.
If your child is displaying UTI symptoms, it is important to promptly seek professional medical care. If left untreated, the infection can spread beyond the urinary tract and infect the kidneys, causing a condition called pyelonephritis, which necessitates more extensive treatment than a UTI.
“When the infection penetrates the kidney, inflammation can lead to high fevers and renal damage. Recurrent or untreated UTI's could also lead to kidney damage. The younger the child, the more at risk they are for damage.”
Drinking plenty of water is the most important way to improve your child's urinary and digestive systems. Drinking enough water helps flush bacteria from the urinary tract, which prevents infection and helps the digestive tract function regularly.
Your child might have a burning feeling when he or she urinates. Your child may also have a constant feeling of needing to urinate. Sometimes, children with a bladder infection lose control and wet themselves. There is usually little or no fever with a bladder infection.
Some pharmacies offer a UTI management service. They may be able to give antibiotics if they're needed.
Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are infections of the bladder, urethra, and kidney. Simple bladder infections may go away on their own in about a week — even without antibiotics.
Children with urinary tract infection should be admitted to hospital if they are less than two months of age, have evidence of urosepsis (e.g., lethargy, difficulty breathing, decreased appetite), are in an immunocompromised state or are vomiting. However, most infants and young children can be treated as outpatients.
Unusual odor of the urine is not helpful in predicting UTI. Other conditions may mimic UTI symptoms. Acute urethritis or vulvovaginitis may be caused by various types of irritants, including chemical (e.g., bubble baths, soaps), physical (e.g., self-exploration), and biologic (e.g., pinworms).
There are two ways to quickly test for a UTI: dipstick and urinalysis both confirm the presence of some sort of bacteria. But the preferred test in kids is a urine culture because it identifies the specific type of bacteria, though it takes 24 to 48 hours for results to come back.
What's the treatment for UTIs in children? Treating a urinary tract infection requires antibiotics that can either be delivered intravenously (through a needle into your child's veins) or orally (they swallow the pills or liquid). Their healthcare provider may also prescribe medications for their fever and/or pain.
Follow the instructions on the package or bottle for the correct dosage for your child. Ural sachets (available at pharmacies) may help adolescents with any pain.
Bacteria grow more quickly in warm and hot water. Our doctors may recommend avoiding hot tubs and taking showers instead of baths. The soap in bubble baths can irritate the urinary tract and should be avoided.
Different conditions can cause symptoms similar to those of a UTI, like sexually transmitted infections, vaginitis, diabetes, and prostatitis to name a few. A visit with a healthcare provider — either in person, phone, or via telemedicine — will help you get the right treatment for your symptoms.
There are several early UTI warning signs that are quite easy to recognize. The most common UTI ailment is a feeling of a burning sensation when you start to urinate. Another common UTI symptom is having the urge to urinate more frequently, but only passing a small amount of urine at a time.
In children aged 3 months or over, UTI should be suspected if signs and symptoms are present, including fever, frequency, dysuria, abdominal pain, loin tenderness, vomiting, poor feeding, dysfunctional voiding, or changes to continence.
For these patients, parents might report fever, irritability, lethargy, vomiting, or poor feeding. These symptoms also occur with other conditions such as gastroenteritis, tonsillitis, or otitis. For older children, signs are more indicative of a urinary cause such as dysuria or frequency.
The symptoms and signs are non-specific throughout infancy. Unexplained fever is the most common symptom of UTI during the first two years of life. After the second year of life, symptoms and signs of pyelonephritis include fever, chills, rigor, flank pain, and costovertebral angle tenderness.