Infections of the urinary tract may involve the kidney or the bladder. They are more common in girls.
What to look for
Urinary tract infections commonly cause painful (burning), frequent or bloody urination. Children may also have belly and back pain, fever, chills, nausea, vomiting and a general sense of weakness and malaise.
Girls may pass small amounts of urine or have a sense of burning on urination because of irritation, not infection. This can be due to bubble baths, trauma, masturbation or incorrect wiping (correct wiping is from front to back). Girls may have a vaginal discharge.
Blood in the urine may indicate a problem with the kidney not caused by infection. Toilet-trained younger children may resume bed-wetting, usually in response to a new or increasing stress rather than infection.
What You Can do
In girls, irritation causes burning and frequent urination and may quickly be resolved by soaking in a tub of clean water with one-half cup of vinegar (without soap) for about 20 minutes. Repeat for a few days. To prevent the recurrence of the problem, use bubble bath ad soap sparingly, if it all. Often, to resolve the problem, showers should be substituted for baths. Encourage wiping from front to back, and use white cotton underpants. Avoid constipation. If there are any other symptoms or an infection is possible, see your doctor.
After evaluation and prescription of antibiotics by your doctor, treat the infection at home. Give medicines for the entire prescribed course. Even when your child is feeling better, he/she may still have the infection. Follow-up visits are necessary to prevent or monitor recurrences.
Your doctor will examine your child for abdominal and back pain and will evaluate the genital area for irritation.
Your doctor will do a microscopic examination of a urine specimen and, if necessary a culture. For younger children, you may use a bag to collect the urine. For older children, your doctor will need a clean sample. To obtain a clean sample from girls, wash the genital area several times with warm water and cotton. While your child is sitting on a toilet with her legs spread, have her urinate and collect some midstream. Boys should similarly have midstream urine collected. If done at home, keep the specimen refrigerated in a sterile jar until your doctor's visit.
If your child has an infection, your doctor will begin antibiotics and will make arrangements for follow-up.
If no infection is present, irritation is likely and preventive steps noted above will be reviewed.
Bed-wetting may require visits to your doctor to develop an understanding of the contributing factors.
When to Call your Child's Doctor
Call immediately if:
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