Somerset Pediatrics
Urinary Tract Infections
Urinary tract infections (UTIs) occur when bacteria infect the urinary tract. Normal urine has no germs
(bacteria). The urinary tract includes kidneys, the tubes that join the kidneys and bladder (ureters), and
the bladder. A UTI can be found in children from infancy through the teen years and into adulthood.
The frequency of UTI’s in girls is much greater than in boys. About 3% of girls and 1% of boys will have a
UTI by 11 years of age. A young child with a high fever and no other symptoms has a 1 in 20 chance of
having a UTI. Uncircumcised boys have more UTIs in the first year of life than those who have been
circumcised.
Signs and Symptoms
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Fever
Pain or burning during urination
Need to urinate more often, or difficulty getting urine out
Urgent need to urinate, or wetting of underwear or bedding by a child who knows how to use
the toilet
Vomiting, refusal to eat
Abdominal pain
Side or back pain
Foul-smelling urine
Cloudy or bloody urine
Diagnosis
Your child’s doctor will need to test your child’s urine to see if there are bacteria or other abnormalities.
Older children are asked to urinate into a sterile container. A clean catch urine is important to make the
correct diagnosis.
For babies, the method is to place a small tube, called a catheter, through the urethra into the bladder.
Urine flows through the tube into a special urine container.
After collection, urine is sent to the lab for culture. A culture is necessary in children to determine if
infection is present.
Treatment
Urinary tract infections are treated with antibiotics. Be sure to use all of the medicine to keep the
infection from coming back.
Somerset Pediatrics
Call your child’s doctor if your child
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Has urine that is pink, red or brown
Continues to have a fever after 2 days of antibiotic therapy
Has severe back pain
Is not better after 2 days of antibiotic therapy
Follow Up
If the UTI occurs early in life, your child’s doctor will probably want to make sure the urinary tract is
normal with a kidney and bladder ultrasound. This test uses sound waves to examine the bladder and
kidneys. When indicated, our office will make this appointment at the hospital.
Somerset Pediatrics
CLEAN CATCH URINE COLLECTION
A “clean catch urine” needs to be collected from your child. The purpose of a “clean
catch urine” is to get a urine sample that is as clean as possible. Correct collection is very
important to determine if an infection is present.
1. Wash your hands with soap and water, then dry them.
2. Use gauze pads moistened with water and dilute soap to clean your child’s genitals
or “private” areas.
Girls
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Younger girls should sit backwards on the toilet (facing the tank) to make wiping
and collection easier.
Spread her legs wide apart and gently spread the skin (labia) apart.
Use three of the moistened pads to wipe from front to back, using each wipe
only one time and throwing it into the trash.
Boys
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Pull back the foreskin if your son is not circumcised (do not force). Gently bring
foreskin forward after collecting the urine.
 Use three of the moistened pads to clean the end of the penis, using each pad
only one time before throwing it into the trash.
Ask your child to begin to urinate in the toilet. After a few drops of urine come out,
place the clean collection cup under the stream of urine to get the sample. Do not
fill the cup to the top.
Do not touch the inside of the cup or lid.
Place the lid on the cup tightly.
Wash your hands.
Make sure name is on the container and place cup of urine in the pass through
window.
If you do the urine sample at home, keep it in the refrigerator until you leave home.
Bring it to the office or lab as soon as possible.