When should I call my child’s healthcare provider?Ĭall the healthcare provider if your child has: Make sure your child doesn’t get constipated Teach girls to wipe from the front to back after going to the bathroom Tell your child to empty their bladder fully when urinating You can help prevent UTIs in your child if you: How can I help prevent a UTI in my child? Talk with your child’s healthcare providers about the risks, benefits, and possible side effects of all treatments. Your child's healthcare provider may want to see them back again a few days after treatment starts to see how treatment is working. Using a heating pad or medicines to ease pain It will also depend on how bad the condition is. Treatment will depend on your child’s symptoms, age, and general health. This will show how well the kidneys are working. Then pictures of the kidneys will be taken. A small amount of radioactive tracer is injected through an IV. Nuclear medicine scan. This scan can help find out if there is scarring or a more severe infection. The images will show if there is any reverse flow of urine into the ureters and kidneys. X-ray images are taken as the bladder fills and empties. A thin, flexible tube (catheter) is put in the tube that drains urine from the bladder to the outside of the body (the urethra). Voiding cystourethrogram. This is a type of X-ray of the urinary tract. A boy with a UTI or a girl younger than age 5 or 6 may need this test. It can show internal organs as they function and can assess blood flow through vessels. It uses sound waves and a computer to make images of blood vessels, tissues, and organs. Kidney ultrasound. This is a painless imaging test. This is done to figure out what type of bacteria is causing the infection and what medicine is best to treat the infection. The urine will also be sent for a culture and sensitivity. Urine testing ( urinalysis). Your child’s urine is sent to a lab to check for red blood cells, white blood cells, bacteria, protein, and signs of infection. The provider will give your child a physical exam. The healthcare provider will ask about your child’s symptoms and health history. Have your child see their healthcare provider for a diagnosis. The symptoms of a UTI can seem like other health conditions. Symptoms can be a bit different for each child. What are the symptoms of a UTI in a child? Delaying going to the bathroom and constipation are also linked to UTIs.

(A child should wipe front to back.) This is even more risky after a bowel movement. A child with a part or full blockage in the urinary tract is more likely to develop a UTI.īubble baths may irritate the urethra and allow bacteria to grow there. Uncircumcised boys are more at risk for a UTI than circumcised boys. But it can occur in boys if part of the urinary tract is blocked. This is because they have a shorter urethra. A UTI is common in infants and young children. Most infections are caused by bacteria from the digestive tract. An infection happens when germs enter the urethra, travel up to the bladder, ureters, and kidneys, and begin to grow. It's free of germs, such as bacteria, viruses, and fungi. Normal urine contains water, salts, and waste products. Bacteria can infect any part of this system. When the bladder is emptied, the urine travels through a tube called the urethra and passes out of the body.

Narrow tubes (ureters) carry urine from the kidneys to the bladder. They remove liquid waste from the blood in the form of urine. The urinary tract includes the 2 kidneys. What is a urinary tract infection (UTI) in children?Ī urinary tract infection is inflammation of part of the system that takes urine out of the body.

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