Understanding UTI’s
What is it? A urinary tract infection is when bacteria gets up in the urinary tract from outside the body and is able to grow, if left untreated it can spread all the way up to the kidneys and cause permanent scarring and damage.
Symptoms (your child might have some but not all of these)
- Pain with urinating, frequency and urgency with urination
- Changes in color or smell to urine or blood in the urine
- Bedwetting (in younger children already toilet trained)
- Fever
- Lower abdominal pain, or diarrhea, nausea or vomiting
- For infants, especially those under 2 months, it may show up just as irritability, poor feeding, vomiting, diarrhea or fever
To Diagnose a Urinary Tract Infection
✅ Visit your Pediatrician, an urgent care or local emergency room:
- They will take a urine sample and do 2 tests, one that comes back the same day (a urinalysis) and one that will take a day or two to result (a urine culture)
- They will prescribe antibiotics to start if the first test look suspicious for a urinary tract infection
- If your child is less than 2 months old and has a fever of 100.4F or greater it is better to be seen in the Emergency Room so they can do blood work as well
How to support symptoms at home:
🏠 Home supportive care for UTI’s:
- Lots of fluids!
- Water is best, but the more your child urinates the more the bacteria is washed out of the urinary tract
- Ibuprofen (Motrin)
- Because it is anti-inflammatory it can help ease some of the pain until the antibiotics start working
- Cranberry pills or juice
- While not curative, it may help support healthy urinary health. Always look for 100% pure cranberry juice (NOT from concentrate) and as little as possible added sugar—this is the healthiest option!
How to avoid a UTI
- Make sure your child has good hygiene habits, especially for girls around toileting remember to reinforce wiping front to back
- When a female at birth child wipes from back to front - it can carry bacteria on the skin from the anal area forward to the urinary tract opening, making UTIs more likely
- Avoid bubble baths and scented products in the genitourinary area (vaginal/penis/anal/groin area) - which can be irritating
- If your male at birth child is uncircumcised, reinforce good foreskin retraction and cleaning to avoid bacteria build up
When to Contact Poppins
📱 Contact us again when:
- Your child is no better after 24 hours on antibiotics
If your gut tells you something is wrong, don't hesitate to reach out. Need help? Reconnect with our on-demand team of medical staff available 24/7.
