A child that urinates too little or too often can concern parents who may be wondering if their child is dehydrated or suffering from an infection. It can be especially frustrating if the frequent urination occurs in a potty-trained child who might be having accidents. Although infrequent urination might simply mean your child is slightly dehydrated, frequent urination can indicate more serious medical concerns that warrant a trip to the doctor for advice and treatment.
Significance
A child's urinary frequency varies according to the amount of liquids she drinks and her age and ability to control her bladder. If your child urinates infrequently and the urine is dark-colored, she probably needs to drink more water. Frequent urination can indicate a variety of conditions, including an overactive bladder, the presence of a urinary tract infection, a small bladder capacity, diabetes or pollakiuria---also known as frequent daytime urination syndrome.
Identification
Your doctor will conduct a thorough examination of your child to find the cause of his frequent urination. Symptoms that might point to a urinary tract infection include pain or burning when urinating, fever and low back pain. Girls experience urinary tract infections more often than boys do, according to Dr. Larissa Hirsch, a medical editor at the Kids Health from Nemours website.
The Merck Manual indicates that some of the first symptoms of diabetes mellitus are increased thirst and frequent urination of copious amounts of urine. These symptoms occur due to high blood sugar levels and can lead to dehydration and serious medical complications if left untreated.
Considerations
If your doctor fails to find any physical causes for the illness, he might suspect pollakiuria. This condition occurs most frequently in children ages 3 to 8 and can cause them to urinate as often as 10 to 30 times a day. Stress can cause pollakiuria so finding the underlying cause of your child's stress can often help address frequent daytime urination. Dr. Vincent Iannelli, pediatrician and owner of the Keep Kids Healthy website, suggests that pollakiuria usually disappears without treatment within 3 months of its onset.
Prevention/Solution
Frequent diaper changing can prevent UTIs in infants and toddlers. Teach older girls to wipe from front to back after urinating to prevent introducing germs into the urethra. Discourage your child from "holding it" when he needs to urinate since this can irritate the bladder and provide a good environment for bacteria to grow. Children prone to frequent urination should also drink plenty of water and avoid caffeine, which can irritate the bladder.
Potential
Increased urinary frequency usually goes away once a doctor treats the underlying medical condition or as the child grows more mature and capable of controlling his bladder. If your child fails to outgrow this condition, your doctor can prescribe medications to help calm the bladder muscles. The National Kidney and Urologic Diseases and Information Clearinghouse suggest that bladder training exercises, including urinating on a schedule, can improve the strength and coordination of your child's urethra and bladder.
References
- About Kids Health: Daytime Frequency of Urination
- Kids Health from Nemours: Urinary Tract Infections
- National Kidney and Urologic Diseases Information Clearinghouse: Urinary Tract Infections in Children
- The Merck Manuals Online Medical Library: Diabetes Mellitus
- Keep Kids Healthy: Frequent Urination
