A UTI (Urinary Tract Infection) is an infection of the bladder or kidneys. It is caused by bacteria and is treated with antibiotics. Bladder infections are far more common than kidney infections; kidney infections are more serious and may need treatment with antibiotics through a drip in their vein
Your child is more likely to get a UTI if they are under 1 year old, a girl, or have problems with their urinary tract. About 8 in every 100 girls and 2 in every 100 boys will have had a urinary tract infection by the time they are 7 years old.
What are the symptoms?
It can be difficult to tell when a child has a UTI, especially if they are very young. The symptoms can vary depending on your child's age and the severity of the infection. Features suggesting a bladder infection include:
Pain or stinging when passing urine
Passing urine more often than normal
Crying when passing urine
Refusing to pass urine
If the following features are also present, your child might have a kidney infection:
Fever
Vomiting
Back or tummy pain
When should you worry?
If your child has any of the following features:
Becomes pale, mottled and feels extremely cold to touch
Seems dehydrated (sunken eyes, drowsy or not had a wee or wet nappy for 12 hours)
Becomes extremely agitated (crying inconsolably despite distraction), confused or very lethargic (difficult to wake)
Has blue lips or pauses in their breathing (apnoeas) or has an irregular breathing pattern
Develops a rash that does not disappear with pressure (see the 'Glass Test')
Is under 1 month of age with a temperature of 38°C / 100.4°F or above
Is between 3-6 months of age with a temperature over 39°C
You need urgent help.
Go to the nearest Hospital Emergency (A&E) Department or phone 999
If your child has any of the following features:
Is struggling to take their antibiotics or not keeping them down due to vomiting
Seems dehydrated (sunken eyes, drowsy or not had a wee or wet nappy for eight hours)
Starts to complain of pain in the back
Starts getting uncontrollable shakes (rigors)
Seems to be getting worse despite being on antibiotics for more than 2 days
Is between 1-3 months of age with a temperature of 38°C / 100°F or above; or 3-6 months of age with a temperature of 39°C / 102.2°F or above (but fever is common in babies up to 2 days after they receive vaccinations).
Continues to have a fever of 38.0°C or above for more than 5 days
You need to contact a doctor or nurse today.
Please ring your GP surgery or contact NHS 111 - dial 111 or for children aged 5 years and above visit 111.nhs.uk
None of the features above
Self care
Continue providing your child’s care at home. If you are still concerned about your child, contact NHS 111 – dial 111 or for children aged 5 years and above visit 111.nhs.uk
This content has been developed by healthcare professionals from across the UK in collaboration with the RCPCH.
Ensure they get antibiotics at regular intervals as instructed by your doctor
It is important to make sure your child takes the antibiotics for as long as the doctor recommends. Otherwise, there is a chance that their infection won't be fully treated and your child might get ill again
Children with UTIs may be uncomfortable so you may wish to give them paracetamol or ibuprofen to help with their pain
A UTI is diagnosed by testing a sample of your child's urine (pee). This sample needs to be 'caught' in a sterile pot. The sample will usually be tested immediately (dipstick) and may also be sent to the hospital for further testing.
It will take a couple of days to get the results back - your child's antibiotics may be stopped or changed at that point.
If your child is under 6 months of age, they will need kidney scans soon after their UTI. This will be organised by their doctor. Older children with frequent UTIs may also need a scan of their kidneys. This will look to see if there is a structural problem that explains why your child is more likely to get UTIs and whether the infection has caused any damage to the kidney.
Your child will need antibiotics to treat their UTI. Most children with a bladder infection can be managed with oral antibiotics.
If your child has a kidney infection or if they are very young (under 3 months of age), they may need to go to hospital for antibiotics through a drip in their vein.
Ensure your child drinks plenty of water - aim for 6-8 glasses daily
Ensure your child goes to the toilet regularly - aim for every 2-3 hours, including at school
Treat constipation - see your GP
Encourage girls to wipe their bottom from front to back
Use loose-fitting cotton underwear
Avoid bubble bath and excessive soap in the bath
Next time your child has a fever for no obvious reason, especially if nobody else is unwell in the family, make sure a urine sample is checked. If your child has a UTI, it is important that it is diagnosed and treated early. That way, there is far less chance that it will cause long term damage to their kidneys
There are many sensory issues associated with sleep including:
Sensitivity to sound, touch, and visual stimuli which can be distracting and distressing and can affect the process of falling asleep.
Interoception difficulties, particularly recognising when hungry, full or thirsty or when the person is tired.
Some children are more sensitive to foods like sugar, caffeine and additives which keep people awake.
Look at the bedroom environment to see what may be affecting their ability to go to sleep and stay asleep. Do their pyjamas and bedclothes feel comfortable, are they too hot or cold? Is it too light or too dark, too noisy or too quiet? Perhaps it is too cluttered and stimulating. Think about your child’s diet. Are they eating too early or not having enough to eat? Are they eating food that can stimulate them close to bedtime. There can be added difficulties where children have restrictive diets but some simple adjustments of what is eaten and when can make a big difference.
Sticking to the same routine helps your child to know what to expect at bedtime and helps them feel secure. It also helps to support your child’s internal body clock and keep it on track. The age related sleep advice and information on this website can help with establishing routines. Some children will benefit from using picture timetables, timers or social stories to help them understand their bed-time routine. More information about visual supports can be found on these websites
Your child may be feeling overstimulated after a busy day and needs help to wind down, or their environment may be overstimulating with lots of toys, TVs and computers within reach. Avoiding TV and computers or hand-held devices an hour before bedtime can help your child to wind down. Activities that are good for the wind down period are jigsaws and colouring. Having a relaxing bath and milky drink can help some children, but for some children having a bath can over-excite them so they may need to have their bath earlier in the day.
Children who wake to use the toilet, wet the bed, or who wear nappies or pull-ups at night that need changing may have disturbed sleep. Eric, the children’s bowel and bladder charity are a good source of advice on this topic.
What might help
Keeping a sleep diary
A sleep diary can help you understand what may be causing difficulties with sleep. Fill it out every evening and record as much as you can. You can use it to spot patterns and make changes that may help.
The Sleep Charity have templates you can download; one for teenagers and one for younger children.
Seeking advice and help from sleep services
There are organisations that can help you if you are having difficulties with your child’s sleep. There are many national organisations, including those who specialise in sleep for SEND families, and there are also community-based services in Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin. Click the link at the bottom of page to visit our support services page.
Understanding sleep cycles
The circadian sleep cycle is a 24-hour cycle that helps govern essential bodily functions especially the sleep-wake cycle. It plays a vital role in a person’s ability to sleep in one consolidated block of time at night and to stay awake during the day. As the sun sets in the evening, the brain begins producing melatonin, a hormone that induces sleepiness. Core body temperature also drops.
As melatonin and tryptophan (an amino acid which helps produce melatonin) are naturally produced in the body, there are things you can do to help their production. Darkness helps to promote the production of melatonin which is why it is a good idea to put your child to sleep in a darkened room, and light emitting devices such as tablets and phones also can destroy Melatonin so should not be used for at least an hour before bed. New research shows that limiting exposure to screens and increasing physical activity levels during the day has a positive effect on children's overall physical, mental health and wellbeing, including sleep.
Setting a waking time consistently even in holiday times, called ‘anchoring’ the wake time, can help to reset the body clock over time. This should be accompanied with exposure to lots of light on waking to support circadian rhythm.
Melatonin and tryptophan occur naturally in some foods and drinks such as milky drinks and cereals which is why having a milky drink before bed can help settling to sleep. For more information visit Diet & Sleep - The Sleep Charity
Prescriptions of melatonin
Behavioural strategies and practical solutions are the best way to address sleep difficulties, but if they are having a significant impact on your child’s ability to function, a drug form of melatonin is sometimes prescribed for neurodivergent children. As the drug’s function is to re-set sleep and wake cycles, it works best combined with good sleep hygiene practices. It is important that is it taken under medical supervision and not purchased on-line so that it is closely monitored for dosage and side effects. It should be prescribed for the shortest period necessary as the long-term effects of the drug on children’s development are not yet known.
In Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin the Community Paediatric Service and the BeeU Service (CAMHS) can prescribe Melatonin for children and young people who meet ALL of the following criteria.
the child/young person must be open to and being treated by the service due to a neurodevelopmental/mental health need (diagnosis not required)
sleep issues are causing significant impact on the child/ young person, for example due to daytime sleeping or behavioural problems that are impacting daily functioning or educational attendance
behavioural approaches have been tried and failed. These may have been offered by the service (where available) or by community sleep support services.
GPs are unable to prescribe Melatonin although they sometimes issue repeat prescriptions when prescribing has been started by a specialist (such as a paediatrician or child psychiatrist).
Further support
Click on the link below to visit a page with information about
national websites and sleep organisations
local community services in Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin.
