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Frequent Daytime Urination in Children

Frequent urination is a problem that can be difficult to diagnose in children and can have many different causes. Some of the causes are normal or behavioral and will go away on their own. However, frequent urination can also be an early indication of a serious disease. If you suspect your child is urinating too much or too frequently, see a doctor to determine the cause of the problem.

  1. Identification

    • How frequent does urination need to be before it is diagnosed as a condition? It is difficult to judge simply from observing whether a child is eliminating too frequently. Before having a child evaluated by a doctor, you should limit his fluid intake for 24 hours to see if that has an impact on his urination. Collect the child's urine over a 24-hour period and measure how much it is. Most young children should produce about 1-1.5 ounces of urine per pound of body weight per day.

    Disease

    • There are several diseases that can cause frequent urination. One of the most common is a urinary tract infection. If the problem is a UTI, the child will have also have urgency, a burning sensation during urination and sometimes a fever. Another cause could be diabetes. Other symptoms of diabetes include thirst, increased appetite and bedwetting. A doctor can test for diabetes by testing glucose levels in the child's urine. Other possible diseases include diabetes insipidus, or lack of a pituary gland hormone, and kidney disease.

    Behavior

    • Frequent urination can be a simple behavioral pattern that happens by choice and disappears naturally. Some toddlers, especially boys, develop a fascination with urination shortly after potty training, and for a few months they want to urinate at every opportunity. Young schoolchildren will sometimes try to drink enough water immediately after going to the restroom to ensure that they will have to go again soon so they can have the excuse to get out of class for a few minutes. And, of course, a child who is constantly drinking juice or milk will need to urinate frequently.

    Food/Drink

    • In addition to high fluid intake corresponding to more frequent urination, there are some foods that are more likely to cause urination. Many acidic foods are natural diuretics that can cause frequent urination in children for a few hours after the food has been eaten. Frequent urination can also be a sign of a reaction to a specific food, indicating an allergy or an intolerance.

    Prevention/Solution

    • Treatment of frequent urination depends on the cause of the problem. Diabetic children need to follow a sugar-free diet and take insulin. Urinary Tract Infections are usually treated with antibiotics. If the cause is behavioral, you can treat it by limiting fluid intake, by encouraging the child to fully empty her bladder while urinating, and by waiting for the behavior to go away on its own.

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