Cystitis in the baby: symptoms and treatment
A bladder infection in a baby is not always easy for parents to recognize. For example, the little ones cannot yet complain about pain when urinating. Here we explain which symptoms can occur and how the urinary tract infection is treated.
Symptoms of cystitis in babies
Symptoms may, but not all, occur. They can also vary in severity from child to child.
- A urinary tract infection or a bladder infection often manifests itself in babies as tiredness combined with irritability.
- Other signs can be poor drinking habits and loss of appetite.
- As in adults, a bladder infection causes pain and burning when urinating in babies. However, small children are often unable to express this.
- Fever is another symptom of a bladder infection. The fever can be mild to very high.
- In the diaper or in the potty, the urine is often cloudy with a bladder infection, sometimes there is blood. The urine also smells bad.
- Jaundice in babies can be a sign of bladder infection.
This is how a bladder infection in babies is treated
If you suspect a bladder infection, you should take your baby to the pediatrician. Because there is a risk that the bacteria responsible for the cystitis will ascend to the kidneys. Since babies’ kidneys have yet to fully mature, they are very vulnerable. As a result of an untreated bladder infection, babies can very easily develop pelvic inflammatory disease and permanent kidney damage.
The doctor will first examine your baby’s urine for germs. If your child isn’t going to the potty yet, you’ll receive a glue-on urinal bag that you can use to collect the urine in the diaper. The doctor will also examine the bladder and kidneys using ultrasound. If a bladder infection is diagnosed, your baby will be given an antibiotic. Here it is important that you administer the medication to your child according to the doctor’s instructions and also for the intended duration.
A short hospital stay may be necessary for babies younger than six months. This is also the case if your child eats and drinks very poorly. Infusion therapy may be given.
If you want to help your child get well again, give him plenty to drink. This flushes the pathogens out of the bladder. A proven home remedy for cystitis in babies is heat. A warm bed bottle on your stomach is good for your child. However, the home remedy only serves to alleviate the symptoms and in no way replaces therapy.