How To Prevent UTIs in Children
by Vanessa Howell
Children can have UTIs, just like adults. UTIs are less common in children under 5 and more common in girls than boys. Naturally, it is important to prevent UTIs, as opposed to waiting for them to happen. Read more to find out how to prevent UTIs in children.
How To Prevent UTIs in Children
Preventing UTIs (or Urinary Tract Infections) in children is both possible and important. Babies can have UTIs, as can older children. In this article, I’ll detail UTI symptoms in children. Additionally, I will discuss how to prevent UTIs naturally using both supplements and a healthy diet. With this information, you can help prevent UTIs in your children and encourage urinary health.
What Are UTIs in Children?
UTIs are a result of an overgrowth of harmful bacteria; primarily, E. Coli. Generally, bacteria enters through the urethra and spreads upward to the bladder. When infected urine sits in the bladder for too long, E. Coli and other harmful bacteria can grow to unhealthy levels, which promotes inflammation in part of the system that takes urine out of the body. As you might imagine, the greater amount of harmful bacteria you have in your bladder, the more other parts of the urinary tract are exposed to inflammation and infection.
By way of summary, the urinary tract is composed of the kidneys, ureters, bladder, and urethra. As urine flows throughout this delicately balanced system, each part of the system is exposed to bacteria—either helpful or harmful—which affects your child’s overall health. If harmful bacteria go unchecked, it can overwhelm any part of this system, thus causing a UTI.
In general, girls are at a higher risk for UTIs than boys. The reason for this is one of physiology; girls have a shorter urethra than boys, so bacteria do not have as far to travel to get to the bladder. That being said, it is possible for boys to experience UTIs. While there are various causes of UTIs in both girls and boys, the most common causes are not fully emptying the bladder, anatomical abnormalities, and bacteria from the digestive tract. Overall, while UTIs in children are not as common as adults, they can occur. In the event your child gets a UTI, there are several symptoms you should know about.
UTI Symptoms in Children
Children tend to have similar symptoms to adults. Some of these symptoms include:
- Pain or burning while urinating
- Sudden or frequent need to urinate
- Trouble urinating or incontinence
- Foul smelling urine
- Blood in urine
- Fatigue
- Fever and chills
- Nausea and vomiting
- Exhaustion
- Swelling in Abdomen
How To Prevent UTIs Naturally in Children
There are several ways to prevent UTIs in children. One of the best ways is to ensure that your child drinks enough water every day. Drinking enough water flushes out bacteria and helps ensure a healthy urinary tract. In addition, ensure your child does not get constipated by helping them eat a healthy diet. Constipation can make passing urine more difficult, which results in urine sitting in the bladder for longer periods of time. This encourages bacteria growth and can lead to a UTI. Similarly, encourage your child to empty their bladder every time they use the bathroom. Also, teach girls to wipe front to back; this practice lessens the spread of bacteria towards the urinary tract, which helps prevent UTIs naturally.
Foods That Help Prevent UTIs
There are several foods that can help prevent UTIs in children. For example, blueberries contain high levels of antioxidants and boost immunity, which lowers the chance for harmful bacteria to thrive in children's urinary tracts. Another useful food to prevent UTIs is Greek yogurt. Yogurt contains probiotics, particularly Lactobacillus, which has been proven to help prevent (as well as treat!) UTIs in children and adults. Luckily, you don’t need to serve your children bitter cranberry juice - recent research has disproved the myth that cranberries are an effective treatment for UTI infections. Lastly, make sure your children drink plenty of water! This helps flush out all of the bad bacteria.
UTI Prevention Supplements
While the most popular treatment for UTIs is antibiotics, it isn’t necessarily the safest option. Overuse of antibiotics can make them less potent for the user should they need to take them in the future. If a child is experiencing recurrent UTIs, it may be possible to prevent them with UTI prevention supplements.
When it comes to UTI prevention supplements, there are a few key aspects to consider. First, the supplements should include natural UTI prevention ingredients. Also, they should be potent, safe for children, and have a proven track record of preventing UTIs. In addition, the ingredients should be natural, pleasant to the taste, and fit a wide variety of dietary needs.
Happee is a UTI prevention supplement that is safe for children. It contains active ingredients that really work. The ingredients include antioxidants from acerola cherry and D-mannose, all of which occur in nature, and have been researched. In addition, Happee is a chewable tablet that has a delicious berry flavor. As a result, children will be happy to take it as directed, preventing UTIs effectively. Lastly, Happee is vegan and gluten free.
There are many ways to prevent UTIs in children. An important part of that prevention is using a UTI prevention supplement. Happee is here to help parents help their children.
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