Urinary Tract Infection (UTI) in Baby

Urinary Tract Infection (UTI) in Baby

There are many infections that could get in your baby’s body if they are not well taken care of. Although most of these infections are caused by bacteria, some enter the system through the skin around the anus. A good example is the urinary tract infection. Mostly, this infection is common among kids and especially those between 5-12 years. However, this does not mean older kids cannot get infected. They too get UTIs. The only difference is in the way the symptoms show. For instance, in older children, the signs are quite obvious and include pain while peeing plus a burning sensation. It is harder to detect in younger children. Even so, this is a serious infection that should be dealt with immediately lest it causes severe health complications to your kid.

What Is Urinary Tract Infection (UTI)?
The urinary tract has kidneys that are responsible for making urine. It also has the ureters that carry urine to the bladder where is stored before being released out of the body when the body is ready to empty

Usually, urine flows from the urethra without any problems. However that is not the case when the tract has bee infected. This is because if the skin around the rectum or genitals is infected, the baby is bound to swell along the system. About 8% of girls and 2 % of boys are known to have suffered urinary tract infection at some point in their childhood. Girls are more susceptible to UTI (especially during toilet training) because their urethra is shorter.

Normally, the first and safest thing to do is to call your doctor if you suspect your baby has an UTI. There is no need to panic as these infections are easy to treat. Failure to do so is linked with Kidney Failure and other kidney problems. It is for this reason that parents are warned against ignoring any signs of UTI. This is because children below 2 years are more vulnerable than older children. It is ideal for parents to be on the look out and treat UTI as soon as it is detected.

Signs of Urinary Tract Infection (UTI) in Baby
As mentioned above, the signs of UTI are obvious in older children while they are invisible in younger children. Some of these signs and symptoms include:

• Odd smelling urine.
• Frequent waking up in the night to go use the bathroom.
• Great urge to urinate even though only a small amount of urine is emptied from the bladder.
• Bloody and Cloudy Urine. Wetting problems even after the baby’s is old enough and has been taught how to use the bathroom.
• Unexplained and persistent irritability for no good reason.
• Crying while peeing or another indication that it is painful to urinate.
• Refusal to eat and Vomiting.

Treatments for Urinary Tract Infection (UTI) in Baby
Once you take your baby to a doctor and he detects UTI, a sample of his uncontaminated urine is taken for test such as urine culture. An ultrasound could also be used to help show the picture of your baby’s kidneys and how they are .Once he manages to collect your baby’s urine sample, it is examined under a microscope. It is only after realizing there is UTI that he gives treatment immediately. Even so, it is important that he identifies what bacteria caused the infection so as to accord the right treatment to your baby.

Although UTIs are treatable, it is important to catch them in good time. This is because undiagnosed urinary tract infections are known to lead to kidney failures especially in girls between 2 and 6 years as their urethra is closer to the anus. This means they are likely to catch the infection easily.

How to Prevent Urinary Tract Infection (UTI) in Baby
Before the child is taught how to use the toilet, it is ideal that parents adapt to regular diaper changing habits. This is one way of preventing the spread of UTI. Other preventive measures include:

Prevention Measures	Description
Maintain Personal Hygiene	Once the child begins to self-toilet, especially for girls, they are supposed to be taught good hygiene. This means telling them to wipe themselves from the front to the rear and not vice versa. This prevents germs from spreading to the urethra from the rectum.
Do Not Hold the Urge	Children should also be taught not to hold urine when they feel like empting their bladders. This is because the urine that remains in the bladder creates conducive environment for bacteria to grow.
Use the Right Soap and Panties	School going girls should also be cautioned against using strong soaps when bathing. Bubble baths are also discouraged as they might contain bacteria responsible for an UTI infection. Cotton panties are also better to nylon as they are less likely to attract bacteria growth.
Keep Hydrated	Besides that taking plenty of water and fluids is also healthy. Water prevents Constipation that is likely to cause urinary tract infection. Plenty of water is also associated with causing the baby to urinate more hence flushing out any bacteria in the UT.
Eat Fruits and Vegetables	It is also important to introduce vegetables and fruits especially if your baby is already taking solids in their diet. Fruits and vegetables work wonders in preventing constipation.
Breastfeeding Your Baby Long Enough	Last but not least, breastfeeding is also important. It is for this reason that breastfeeding mothers are encouraged to continue breastfeeding until the baby is at least 7 months and if possible to continue longer. This is because studies have shown that breastfeeding tends to babies for long protects them against UTIs. Better yet the protection persists, even after weaning for up to two years. Breastfeed is also a good way of protecting your little one from UTIs.

If you want to learn more about urinary tract infections, check the following video:

Urinary Tract Infection – Symptoms, Causes, Treatment

Urinary Tract Infection – Symptoms, Causes, Treatment






Urinary tract includes kidneys, bladder, ureters and urethra. Infection can occur in any part of the urinary tract and more women than men are prone to develop UTI. It may cause burning sensation while urinating and one may often have urge to pass urine frequently. Bacteria are the main cause for UTI and treatment involves strong antibiotics for destroying bacteria.

Organs Of Urinary Tract :

Before knowing more information about the symptoms, causes and risk factors of UTI you need to understand about its organs.

• Kidneys (2 in no.) are the vital organs that eliminate wastes and other toxic substances from the body. It also filters and removes excess of water from the blood. In addition to these, kidneys are involved in regulating Blood Pressure. Kidneys can easily be damaged due to increased blood sugar levels and Hypertension (blood pressure).


• Ureters are long narrow tubing measuring 10-12 inches in length which delivers the urine collected from the kidney to the bladder.


• Bladder is a small pouch meant for collecting and storing urine. When the bladder gets almost full the person would have the urge to pass urine. Bladder muscles contract automatically to expel the urine.


• Finally the urethra is a tube through which urine is expelled.

UTI can affect any of the above parts. Upper UTI affects the kidneys and ureters and lower UTI affects bladder and urethra. More than 7 million people have urinary tract infection in the USA alone each year. It ranks 2nd after respiratory tract infection among the various kinds of infection affecting people. Often adult are likely to develop UTI but rarely children may also get UTI.

Symptoms :

Not all kinds of UTI would have visible signs. Moderate form of UTI may show symptoms like persistent urge to pass urine, burning pain while urinating and passing urine frequently in small amounts. Urine would be more or less cloudy and would contain trace of blood in it for some people. Urine may be foul smelling if the infection is severe.

Depending on the part of the urinary tract physical symptoms of UTI may differ. If kidneys are infected it can cause symptoms including high fever, nausea, vomiting, upper back pain and chills. If bladder gets infected it might cause symptoms like pain in the lower abdomen, frequent urge to pass urine and pain due to pelvic pressure. Burning sensation, while urinating is the common symptom if urethra gets infected. It might also cause white milky discharge in women.

Causes :

Bacteria always live in our body and the infection starts only if bad bacteria multiplies more in number than good bacteria. Our body is tuned to fight back against bad bacteria but sometimes immunity may get weak due to illness and other factors. The entire volumes of bacteria will not be eliminated in the urine and some of them would invade causing infection of urethra and bladder. Urethritis (infection of urethra) and cystitis (bladder infection) are the two most common type of UTI caused by E.coli bacteria.

Who Are At Risk?

• Women are more likely to develop UTI than men owing to their anatomy. The opening of urethra lies close to bladder for women.


• Women who are sexually active and have multiple sex partners are at high risk of developing UTI.


• People living with certain complicated conditions like spinal cord injury and suppressed immune systems (like undergoing chemo or radiation therapy for cancer) are at risk of getting UTI.


• Women using diaphragm for birth control are more likely to develop this infection than others.


• Men whose urethra is longer and those with enlarged prostate are at increased risk of getting UTI.


• Young children who are not toilet trained properly and infants can also develop urinary tract infection.


• People living with catheter (for draining urine) for long term are likely to get UTI.


• Infants born with abnormalities in urinary tract are prone to get UTI.


• If left untreated, UTI can damage the kidney causing severe kidney infection.

Tests :

Based on the symptoms, your doctor may order for urine analysis to check for the presence of abnormal white blood cells or bacteria in it. For people with recurrent UTI the doctor may insist on checking the tract with CT assisted scan or MRI scan.

Treatment :

Antibiotics are the first line treatment for UTI. Depending on the intensity of infection suitable strengths of antibiotics are prescribed. Some of the commonly recommended drugs include Azithromycin, Levofloxacin, cephalexin, Trimethoprim, ciprofloxacin and doxycycline. Most of the symptoms would be managed after starting antibiotics. But you need to complete the course of medication as suggested by the doctor failing which infection can recur.

For people with frequent UTI infection, doctor would prescribe antibiotics (of low strength) for months together. Women in menopause can voluntarily check with their doctor to prevent any infection. In-patient treatment is needed only for severely infected cases and antibiotics are given through intravenous form for getting quick result. Follow up or regular check-up is needed for patients with frequent infections.

Home Remedies :

• If you are having infections take plenty of fluids to dilute the urine which can help in controlling burning sensation.


• Eat soft foods and avoid fried and fatty items.

Tips For Prevention :

• Drink lots of liquids and follow toilet hygiene.


• Wash your vagina after each intercourse and empty your bladder fully after having sex.


• Practice safe sex and avoid multiple partners.