Urinary Tract Infections

Urinary Tract Infections in Children

Urinary tract infections, or UTIs, are a common occurrence in children, and it’s important that you’re able to identify the symptoms, especially in children that are too young to fully explain their symptoms. If you suspect that your child has a UTI, it’s essential to seek treatment as soon as possible.

Urinary Tract Infections and Children

Depending on the age of your child, you should watch for specific symptoms indicating that your child possibly has a UTI. In babies, they may have a fever, be fussy or throw up. They can’t vocalize what they’re feeling, so it’s up to you to identify these issues and visit your child's pediatrician as soon as possible.

Some common symptoms your child may experience include:

• Pain and burning during urination
• Frequent urge to urinate
• Fever
• Frequently waking up during the night to urinate
• Wetting the bed
• Belly pain around the bladder
• Urine that has a foul smell and is cloudy or bloody

Urinary tract infections are more common in girls because of the proximity of the anus to the urethra but can occur in both boys and girls. UTIs are an easy issue to treat, but it is important to catch symptoms as early as possible to avoid any further damage from occurring. An untreated UTI could lead to kidney damage or other issues.

If your child is diagnosed with a urinary tract infection, they’ll need to take antibiotics for several days to get rid of the infection and stop the spread of infection throughout their body. It’s important to follow all instructions that your pediatric urologist gives you for treatment to ensure your child is completely healed and feeling better.

If your child is dealing with a UTI or another urinary issue, please contact Pediatrix® Urology of Central Texas at 512-472-2928 to schedule an appointment.