U.S. Department 

of Health and 

Human Services 

What I need to know about
 

My Child’ My Child’s Urinary s Urinary Tract 

Infection Infection

NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH 

National Kidney and Urologic Diseases Information Clearinghouse 

What I need to know about 

My Child’s Urinary Tract 

Infection 

NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH 

National Kidney and Urologic Diseases Information Clearinghouse
Contents 

What is the urinary tract?........................................ 1
 

What is a urinary tract infection? ........................... 2
 

What are the symptoms of a UTI? ......................... 3
 

When should I call the doctor?............................... 4
 

How are UTIs diagnosed?....................................... 5
 

How is a UTI treated? ............................................. 6
 

How can UTIs be prevented? ................................. 7
 

What if my child’s UTI comes back?...................... 8
 

What should I ask my child’s doctor 


about UTIs?............................................................ 10
 

Points to Remember .............................................. 11 


Hope through Research......................................... 12
 

For More Information ........................................... 13
 

Acknowledgments .................................................. 14
 
Many children get urinary tract infections (UTIs). 

Girls get UTIs more often than boys. Most of 

the time, a UTI will go away after a child takes a 

bacteria-fighting medicine called an antibiotic. If 

a child keeps getting UTIs, another problem may 

need to be looked into. UTIs may suggest a kidney 

or bladder problem. And repeat infections may 

damage the kidneys. 

What is the urinary tract? 

The urinary tract is the body’s system for getting 

rid of extra water and wastes. It includes two 

kidneys, two ureters, a bladder, and a urethra. 

Blood flows through the kidneys, and the kidneys 

filter out wastes and extra water, making urine. 

The urine flows from the kidneys to the bladder 

through the ureters. The bladder fills with urine 

until it is full enough to signal the need to urinate. 

Kidney 

Ureter 

Urethra 

Bladder 

Front view of 

urinary tract. 

Kidney 

Bladder 

Ureter 

Urethra 

Vagina 

Kidney 

Bladder 

Ureter 

Urethra

Side view of male 

urinary tract. 

Side view of female 

urinary tract. 

 
What is a urinary tract infection? 

Normal urine flow usually washes away the germs, 

called bacteria, that cause UTIs. A UTI occurs 

when bacteria do not get washed away and instead 

get into the kidneys or bladder. The bacteria often 

come from stool after a bowel movement. 

Some habits that can also lead to bacteria growth 

and UTIs are 

●	 wiping back to front after using the toilet— 

for girls 

● delaying trips to the bathroom 

● not emptying the bladder completely 

Some children are simply prone to getting UTIs, 

even though they have good habits. 

If a child has constipation, the hard stool in the 

bowel may press against the urinary tract and block 

the flow of urine, increasing the risk of a UTI. 

A child may have a defect where the ureter joins 

the bladder, causing urine to flow backwards— 

a condition commonly known as vesicoureteral 

reflux. When urine stays in the urinary tract, 

bacteria have a chance to grow and spread. 


 
What are the symptoms of a UTI? 

Young children probably won’t be able to tell you 

what is wrong. You will have to look for signs of a 

UTI, such as 

● fever 

● fussiness and irritability 

● refusal to eat 

● diarrhea 

● vomiting 

● cloudy or foul-smelling urine 

● blood in the urine 


 
In older children, symptoms may include 

● burning with urination 

● frequent urination 

● cloudy or dark urine 

● back pain 

● stomach pain 

● nighttime or daytime wetting 

● blood in the urine 

When should I call the doctor? 

Call the doctor if your child has any of these 

symptoms: 

● fever of 100.4 degrees or higher 

● pain in the lower back or abdomen 

● sudden onset of frequent urination 

● dark, cloudy, or foul-smelling urine 


 
How are UTIs diagnosed? 

At the doctor’s office, the doctor or nurse will give 

you a cup into which your child can urinate. If 

your child is still in diapers, a collection bag may 

be placed over the child’s urethra after the area 

around the urethra has been washed with soap and 

warm water or a sterile wipe. The bag has adhesive 

strips to keep it in place. Remove the bag as soon 

as the child urinates into it. 

Urine collection bag for infants. 

In other infants and toddlers, it may be necessary 

to collect the urine by inserting a thin tube called a 

catheter into the bladder. A nurse or a doctor will 

perform this collection very quickly and cause no 

harm to the child. This collection method gives the 

best chance of finding and identifying an infection. 


 
A nurse or doctor will check the urine sample for 

bacteria or pus. To get more information, the 

sample will be sent to a lab for a urine culture. 

The lab will place the sample in a tube or dish with 

a substance that encourages any bacteria present to 

grow. Once the germs have multiplied, they can be 

identified and tested to see which medications will 

work best. Growing bacteria in the lab often takes 

2 or 3 days to complete. 

How is a UTI treated? 

If the first check of the urine sample reveals 

bacteria or pus, the doctor will prescribe an 

antibiotic that fights the most common bacteria. 

When the results of the urine culture come back, 

the doctor may switch to another antibiotic that 

targets the specific type of bacteria. 

Most often, the child will need to take medicine for 

7 to 10 days. Some prescriptions may last a couple 

of weeks. Be sure your child takes every pill or 

every dose of liquid. Your child should feel better 

after a couple of days, but the infection might 

come back if he or she stops taking the antibiotic 

too early. 


 
How can UTIs be prevented? 

Here are some steps you can take to prevent your 

child from getting a UTI in the future: 

● Have your child drink plenty of fluids. 

●	 Teach your child to use the bathroom regularly. 

Don’t hold in urine. 

●	 Teach good bathroom hygiene. Teach girls to 

wipe from front to back, away from the vagina, 

after using the toilet, especially after a bowel 

movement. 

●	 Avoid tight clothing for your child. Tight clothes 

can trap moisture, which allows bacteria to grow. 

●	 Buy your child only cotton underwear. Cotton 

lets in air to dry the area. 

●	 Avoid baths and bubble baths. 

●	 If your child has constipation, speak with the 

doctor about the best way to treat it. 


 
What if my child’s UTI comes back? 

Returning UTIs may be a sign that urine is blocked 

or flowing backwards. Backward urine flow, called 

urinary reflux, can lead to repeated infections. 

If the doctor thinks that your child may have 

urinary reflux or some other problem that is 

blocking urine, the doctor may order additional 

tests—ultrasound or x rays—to get a picture of the 

urinary tract. 

Pictures of the urinary tract may show urine is blocked or 

flowing backward. 


 
If your child has urinary reflux, it will probably 

go away as your child grows. Your doctor may 

prescribe a low dose of antibiotic to keep the 

infection from coming back. Unless urine blockage 

is severe, no more treatment should be needed. 

Your doctor may want to keep track of the problem 

with regular x-ray exams. Be on the lookout for 

signs of infection. 

If tests show urine is backing up and antibiotics 

don’t prevent infection, your doctor may suggest 

surgery to correct a defect in the urinary tract. 

One way to correct the problem is to cut one or 

both of the ureters away from the bladder and 

attach them back at a different angle so urine can’t 

back up. A newer method is to inject a bulking 

agent into the tissue around the opening to the 

ureter to close it. Urine can flow into the bladder 

but not back out. 


 
What should I ask my child’s doctor 

about UTIs? 

Here are some questions to ask your child’s doctor: 

●	 Does my child need an antibiotic? 

●	 What should I do if the symptoms come back? 

●	 Does my child need additional tests to check the 

urinary tract? 

●	 Is there a chance my child has kidney damage? 

●	 What can I do to help my child avoid UTIs in 

the future? 

0
 
Points to Remember 

●	 Many children get urinary tract infections 


(UTIs).
 

●	 Symptoms of a UTI include 

• fever 

• fussiness and irritability 

• refusal to eat 

• diarrhea 

• vomiting 

• cloudy or foul-smelling urine 

• burning urination 

• back or stomach pain 

• nighttime or daytime wetting in older children 

• blood in the urine 

●	 Diagnosis of a UTI is based on a urine sample. 

●	 Most of the time, a UTI will go away after a 

child takes a bacteria-fighting medicine called an 

antibiotic. 

●	 Most UTIs can be prevented with good 

bathroom habits. 


 
●	 Repeat infections may be a sign that the child 

has reflux of urine from the bladder back toward 

the kidney. 

●	 Repeat infections can also damage the kidneys. 

●	 Urinary reflux can be corrected with surgery 

or injections where the ureters open into the 

bladder. 

Hope through Research 

The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive 

and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) conducts and 

supports research to help people with urologic 

disease, including children. The NIDDK’s 

Division of Kidney, Urologic, and Hematologic 

Diseases (DKUHD) maintains the Pediatric 

Urology Program, which supports research into 

the early development of the urinary tract. The 

DKUHD supports the Randomized Intervention 

for Children with Vesicoureteral Reflux (RIVUR) 

study to evaluate current treatments for children 

with UTIs and urinary reflux. 


 
For More Information 

American Academy of Pediatrics 

141 Northwest Point Boulevard
 

Elk Grove Village, IL 60007–1098
 

Phone: 847–434–4000
 

Email: kidsdocs@aap.org
 

Internet: www.aap.org
 

American Urological Association Foundation 

1000 Corporate Boulevard 

Linthicum, MD 21090 

Phone: 1–866–RING–AUA (746–4282) or 

410–689–3700 

Email: patienteducation@auafoundation.org 

Internet: www.UrologyHealth.org 

National Kidney Foundation, Inc. 

30 East 33rd Street 

New York, NY 10016 

Phone: 1–800–622–9010 or 212–889–2210 

Internet: www.kidney.org 

Society of Urologic Nurses and Associates 

P.O. Box 56 

East Holly Avenue 

Pitman, NJ 08071–0056 

Phone: 1–888–TAP–SUNA (827–7862) or 

856–256–2335
 

Email: suna@ajj.com
 

Internet: www.suna.org
 


 
Acknowledgments 

The National Kidney and Urologic Diseases 

Information Clearinghouse (NKUDIC) would like 

to thank the following members of the American 

Society of Pediatric Nephrology Clinical Affairs 

Committee for their review of this booklet: Maria

Ferris, M.D.; Barbara Fivush, M.D.; Joseph Flynn,

M.D.; Ann Guillot, M.D.; Tej Mattoo, M.D.; 

Cynthia Pan, M.D.; Jeff Saland, M.D.; and Steve 

Wassner, M.D. 

Thank you also to Daniel Schiavone, M.D., of Blue 

Ridge Pediatric Associates in Winchester, VA, for 

field-testing this publication. 

The U.S. Government does not endorse or favor any specific 

commercial product or company. Trade, proprietary, or company 

names appearing in this document are used only because they are 

considered necessary in the context of the information provided. If 

a product is not mentioned, the omission does not mean or imply 

that the product is unsatisfactory. 


 
National Kidney and Urologic 

Diseases Information Clearinghouse 

3 Information Way 

Bethesda, MD 20892–3580 

Phone: 1–800–891–5390 

Fax: 703–738–4929 

Email: nkudic@info.niddk.nih.gov 

Internet: www.kidney.niddk.nih.gov 

The National Kidney and Urologic Diseases Information 

Clearinghouse (NKUDIC) is a service of the National Institute 

of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK). The 

NIDDK is part of the National Institutes of Health of the U.S. 

Department of Health and Human Services. Established in 

1987, the Clearinghouse provides information about diseases 

of the kidneys and urologic system to people with kidney and 

urologic disorders and to their families, health care professionals, 

and the public. The NKUDIC answers inquiries, develops and 

distributes publications, and works closely with professional and 

patient organizations and Government agencies to coordinate 

resources about kidney and urologic diseases. 

Publications produced by the Clearinghouse are carefully 

reviewed by both NIDDK scientists and outside experts. 

This publication is not copyrighted. The Clearinghouse encourages users of 

this publication to duplicate and distribute as many copies as desired. 

This booklet is also available at www.urologic.niddk.nih.gov. 

This publication may contain information about medications used to treat a health 

condition. When this publication was prepared, the NIDDK included the most 

current information available. Occasionally, new information about medication is 

released. For updates or for questions about any medications, please contact the 

U.S. Food and Drug Administration at 1–888–INFO–FDA (463–6332), a toll-free 

call, or visit their website at www.fda.gov. Consult your doctor for more information. 
U.S. DEpArTMENT OF HEALTH 

AND HUMAN SErVICES 

National Institutes of Health 

NIH Publication No. 08–6075 

February 2008