Bladder Health
It's not just an old wives' tale that cranberry juice promotes bladder health. Doctors recommend it, too. Drinking lots of water promotes frequent urination, which decreases the risk of bladder infections.
Bladder Infections
Bladder infections are more common in girls because the urethra is short, and in wiping after bowel movements they can get a bit of stool on the urethral opening. However, boys can and do get bladder infections, too. Bladder infections can increase the frequency of urination, and may also create an urgency so intense children can't get to the potty in time.
The typical symptom is blood in the urine, which turns it cloudy or pink. There may be a spot of blood on the toilet tissue after urination. Bladder infections can also cause loss of bladder control, frequent and/or painful urination, pain just above the pubic area or on the side, fever, and lethargy. They can be serious, so see your doctor fast.
Urinary Tract Infections
Toddler logic has it that what comes out should go in, so most boys will at some point use a squeeze bottle or squirt gun in the bath tub and inject some water into the place from which the urine flows. The result can be a urinary tract infection. Be sure to tell your child that he must never put water or anything else in his penis. Hope for the best but be prepared for the worst. Just as toddlers are driven to insert beans in their ears and peas into their nostrils, they are compelled to insert water into their penis.
FACT
Discharges from the penis are rare prior to puberty, but if you notice one, your child needs to be seen by a doctor. An infection brewing under the foreskin can produce enough pus to look like a discharge. That, too, requires prompt medical treatment.
Oil from the skin and small quantities of urine can easily become trapped under the foreskin of an uncircumcised penis if it is not cleaned properly, which can cause infection. Pus signals the presence of an infection that requires medical attention. In addition, associated swelling can prevent the flow of urine. Contact your doctor immediately.
Leakage
Additional leakage after urinating can signal a physical malformation correctable by surgery, so check your child's pants a minute or two after he uses the potty. Otherwise, you might think he had an accident an hour later when he didn't. Also, the stream of urine should be strong and steady. See your doctor if it tends to trickle out or often flows in erratic spurts, even when your child urinates a large quantity. Infants do this, but toddlers should not.
ALERT!
Frequent urination, few periods of being dry, and painful urination suggest the need for an immediate medical exam for a bladder infection even if urine is clear. So does frequent urination, even if it is because your child drinks large quantities. These can be warning signs of diabetes.
