Urinary Tract Infections

I had uti problems for a couple of years now and a short time ago found out how great cranberry juice is. I told my mother and found out she had had the same problem and the same solution! Plus shame on the doctor for not doing something or suggesting you see someone else.

Hi M.

I'm a mom of 2 children, licensed daycare provider and former certified med. assistant for a pediatrician. First of all with over 33 yrs experience with children I have to say that your ped. is not doing a good job. Weekly I give myself, my daughter (11 yrs), our 5 yr old son and my husband all drink 100% cranberry juice, LOTS of water, and as for my daughter and myself, we use Summer's Eve feminine wash to bathe, it's very mild and works great. They have a couple of different kind, I always buy the one for sensitive skin. Or you can use a mild soap on her like Ivory or Dove. Also be careful of your toilet paper, it may have dye or perfume in it. I suggest using plain white dye/perfume free toilet paper.

Be careful of colored underwear or at least make sure it's a white cotton crotch in them and not too tight on her.

You'll notice the difference once she drinks the cranberry juice and you increase her water (try crushed ice in her water in a sippy cup) it works wonders on my daycare kids who don't normally drink water. Once her urine is almost clear and has no odor, then you'll know she's all better. As for the ped. I'd switch, preferrably to a female (personal preference).

Good Luck!

Poor baby! I feel for her. As both a child and adult I've been plagued by UTIs. Turns out as a child I was allergic to Mr. Bubble, the bubble bath. And as an adult I'm very sensative to sitting in a wet bathing suit, going to public pools (things like that) and certain soaps (plus all the other things that give girls UTI's anyway). I loved taking bubble baths as a child and sure enough, for over a year, it was one infection after another. Very possibly she has the same problem. Have you tried using different laundry detergants and changing her bath soap? Also, never leave her in anything wet (diaper, bathing suit) and if she's potty trained, make sure she's wiping the right way. Other than that, give her LOTS of fluids all the time, even if she doesn't have an infection, she may be able to take cranberry/kidney/bladder herb suppliments (check with a Dr first, most health food stores have many options of these products) and have her drink cranberry juice if she can tolerate it. Maybe if it doesn't clear up you can take her to a urologist. Best of luck, those are miserable things to get. I hope you find some relief for her sooner than later.

I agree with what the other people have said. Definitely get rid of any bubble bath. I'd try having her just soak without any soap on her body at all. Whatever bath soap you're using, try something else, preferably unscented. Choose a "free" (unscented) laundry detergent. Also, if she's still in diapers or pullups, try other brands. If she's potty trained, have her wear a nightgown, no underwear to bed.

I've had problems with UTI's all through my adulthood and some people are just wired for them. But I think you should see a urologist to confirm. Make sure she finishes all antibiotics. If the UTIs are spaced close together, she may have an antibiotic-resistant strain that isn't quite clearing up between infections. If she goes to daycare, make sure they know to send her to the potty every couple of hours and that she needs access to water all day not just at snack time. Also, teach her to sit on the potty and wait to be completely done peeing - kids can be in a hurry and rush off to get back to play, leaving some urine in the bladder.

I also wanted to add that it's not unusual for girls to have UTI's, at all. Women get them more than men, and it's very common in girls. Which doesn't mean you shouldn't take it seriously and see a urologist, but I also wouldn't be overly alarmed.

I can't believe your Dr hasn't told you to see a urologist. My now 6 year old daughter got a couple of UTI's at the age of 4 and her dr immediately sent her to a urologist because UTI's in kids under 5 is unusual, according to her. Anyway, turns out my daughter does have a problem with her urine backing up towards her kidneys. We would have never known this if we did not investigate her UTI because there has been no other symptoms. Now she is on a daily antibiotic to prevent infections and goes back for testing periodically to see if she has grown out of the reflux, which kids tend to do, but if she has not there is a minor procedure to fix the 'lever' that stops the urine from heading to the kidneys. SO, I am not saying this is what your child has, but just wanted you to be aware that it may be more than just a reaction to bubble bath and what not. Good luck!

Both my girls went through this, Payton my youngest had 5 trips to the ER, we went to see Dr. John Houston out of Children's, he is a pediatric urologist. Both girls had kidney reflux and both had surgery to correct it. Every time they got a kidney infection, it destroyed part of their kidney, for instance my older daughter, only 45 percent of her right kidney works anymore, so her left kidney has to work overtime so to speak. See a urologist, I recommend Dr. Houston, he takes almost all insurance, my girls had insurance through the state. They will do tests including an ultrasound and a voiding cystogram, they can happen for many reasons, but if it is reflux, based on the grade of it, they will put her on medication to prevent future infections. It worked great for my youngest until she has a breakthrough infection and got so sick they had to do the surgery.
Dr. Houston is great, he literally was a Godsend and I dont say that about many doctors!

Have her drink 100% cranberry juice or eat cranberries on a regular bases. She probably will not like the taste so mix it with grape juice or another juice she may like. The cleansing properties in cranberries helps with the urinary tract. It really does help.

Good Luck,
S.

My daughter, who is 3, went through the same thing. The third time she had a UTI, we ended up at the urgent care. The doctor there did an abdominal x-ray and found that she was REALLY constipated. She had been holding her stool more often than she was doing it in the potty. This was causing her to also hold her urine which resulted in the UTI. We also found out she has reflux, which is when urine backs up from the bladder into the kidney. We were referred right away to a urologist. We were told that stool holding is pretty common, usually in response to having a bm that hurts. They also said it happens more often in "strong-willed" children. I would insist on seeing a urologist to see what's going on.

UTIs can be very dangerous if left untreated. I think you should get a second opinion as your ped doesn't sound like he/she is on top of things. My older daughter got a couple UTIs when she was little, and my ped said one more and we would have to see a urologist as it could be something serious. I stopped giving bubble baths and used different detergent and had her drink cranberry juice and we never did have another one. (My ped is normally very hands off and non-alarmist but he did seem concerned about her UTIs.) I think you should see if you can consult a urologist -- or at least get another pediatrician's opinion.

My nieces both had this problem. Both had ultrasounds done to determine if there were any abnormalities in the urinary tract and one of the girls did have a little problem with bacteria in the kidneys. In her case, she didn't require surgery but the doctor advised her parents to give her 8 oz of cranberry juice daily. She's about 2 years old now and the cranberry juice has done wonders. They aren't rushing her to the pediatrician for antibiotics and aren't having high fevers anymore.

Dear M.,

I'm sorry to hear your little one is going through this. I'm surprised you haven't been referred to a Urologist yet; shame on your ped. What's their protocal on this? How many UTI's does your daughter have to go through before they see any bit of concern?

From my experience, bubble baths/soapy baths usually are the main culprits. Some females are more susceptible to UTI's than others. If she's having long, soapy baths, I'd stop and see if that helps preventing another one. If not, I'd request to see a Urologist immediately.

I hope she feels better.

Congrats on the new little one!