Yes, a newborn can get a UTI, and early signs like fever, poor feeding, or fussiness should prompt a same-day call to a pediatric doctor.
Parents often ask “can a newborn get a UTI?”.
Can A Newborn Get A UTI? Early Warning Signs
In the first weeks of life, a newborn with a urinary tract infection often looks “just unwell” instead of showing classic older-child symptoms like burning during urination. Paying attention to small changes in behavior and body temperature gives you the best chance to catch a newborn UTI early.
| Newborn UTI Sign | What Parents May Notice | When To Call The Doctor |
|---|---|---|
| Fever Or Low Temperature | Rectal temp ≥38°C or <36°C. | Call urgently for any newborn fever or low temp. |
| Poor Feeding | Short feeds, weak suck, or feed refusal. | Call the same day if feeds drop off for several feeds. |
| Unusual Sleepiness | Hard to wake for feeds, less responsive. | Seek urgent advice, especially with fever. |
| Unusual Irritability | Long crying spells, hard to settle after feeding and changing. | Call the doctor that day, sooner if fever appears. |
| Vomiting Or Diarrhea | More spit-up, forceful vomiting, or loose stools. | Seek care quickly if vomiting sits with fever or poor feeding. |
| Poor Weight Gain | Clothes and diapers not getting snugger, weight flat on checks. | Raise this at visits; call sooner if paired with other UTI signs. |
| Strong-Smelling Or Bloody Urine | Strong urine odor in diapers or any blood spots. | Call urgently, since blood or strong odor can signal infection. |
Because these signs are non-specific, doctors treat any newborn with fever or concerning changes as a reason to test the urine. Guidelines from pediatric groups advise checking urine in acutely unwell infants under three months, even when symptoms look general. This helps catch a UTI before it spreads to the kidneys or bloodstream.
Why Newborns Can Develop A Urinary Tract Infection
The urinary tract runs from the kidneys down through the ureters to the bladder and urethra. A urinary tract infection happens when germs grow in that system, most often bacteria such as E. coli that normally live near the diaper area and manage to travel up into the urinary tract.
Newborns are more prone to infections in general because their immune systems are still learning to respond. In the urinary tract, several factors can raise the chances of a UTI in a newborn:
Risk Factors Linked To The Baby
Doctors review several baby-related features when weighing the chance of a UTI:
- Age. The first three months carry higher UTI risk, with many cases in the first weeks.
- Sex. In early infancy, UTIs appear more often in boys, especially those who are not circumcised; girls have more UTIs later on.
- Prematurity. Babies born early may have weaker defenses and sometimes kidney or urinary tract differences.
- Known Kidney Or Urinary Tract Differences. Conditions such as vesicoureteral reflux (VUR) or blockage in urine flow can raise infection risk.
Risk Factors Related To Urine Flow
Anything that slows or blocks urine flow can trap bacteria and make infection more likely. In newborns this sometimes includes catheter use in the nursery, rare structural problems with the urethra or bladder outlet, or severe constipation that compresses the bladder or ureters. When urine does not empty well, germs have more time to grow.
Large pediatric studies show that UTIs are common in early life and may come with kidney infection or sepsis in the youngest infants.
How Doctors Diagnose A UTI In A Newborn
Step 1: Clinical Assessment
The visit usually starts with a detailed history and a head-to-toe exam. The clinician asks about feeding, diapers, sleep patterns, breathing, birth history, and any complications during pregnancy or delivery. They also check temperature, heart rate, breathing rate, blood pressure, and oxygen levels.
If the baby looks unwell, has a rectal temperature of 38°C or higher, or has several signs from the first table, the clinician will often test for infection through blood and urine sampling, and sometimes spinal fluid in the youngest babies.
Step 2: Collecting A Clean Urine Sample
For a newborn, a clean urine sample usually means collecting urine by catheter or a short needle into the bladder (called suprapubic aspiration). Bag samples that stick over the genital area are not reliable enough to confirm a UTI, because they often pick up bacteria from the skin instead of the bladder.
Current pediatric guidelines agree that urine for a lab growth test should come from catheterization or a needle sample when a true UTI is suspected in a young infant. These methods sound intimidating, but they take only a short time and give a much clearer answer than a bag sample.
Step 3: Urinalysis And Lab Growth Test
Once the urine is collected, the lab runs a quick urinalysis to look for white blood cells, nitrites, and bacteria. This gives an early hint that infection is likely, while the lab growth result takes longer because the lab needs time to see whether bacteria grow and in what amount.
Diagnosis usually requires both signs of inflammation in the urinalysis and a certain level of bacteria in the lab growth test from a properly collected sample. That combination helps separate a true infection from contamination and guides antibiotic choice based on which bacteria are present and how they respond to medications.
Newborn UTI Symptoms And Diagnosis Details
Parents often find it helpful to see how symptoms and test results fit together. In newborns, one symptom alone rarely proves anything, which is why doctors combine a pattern of signs with lab data before calling it a urinary tract infection.
| Feature | What It Tells The Doctor | What Parents Can Watch |
|---|---|---|
| Fever Pattern | Fever without a clear source raises concern for UTI or another infection. | Use a rectal thermometer and share readings and timing. |
| Feeding And Weight | Poor intake and flat weight gain suggest illness that might include UTI. | Track feeding lengths, volumes, and changes from usual habits. |
| Urinalysis | White cells or bacteria on rapid testing point toward urinary infection. | Ask the clinician to explain the main urinalysis findings. |
| Lab Growth Test | Growth of one organism at high count usually confirms UTI. | Ask which bacteria grew and how they respond to the antibiotic. |
| Blood Tests | Inflammatory markers and blood tests help show whether infection is spreading. | Ask whether blood tests suggest infection in the bloodstream. |
| Imaging Studies | Kidney and bladder ultrasound may reveal structural problems or scars. | Ask why imaging is suggested and what the findings mean long term. |
Authoritative pediatric resources such as MedlinePlus guidance on urinary tract infection in children and the NIDDK overview of bladder infection in children underline the need to test urine promptly in sick infants so treatment is not delayed.
Treatment Of UTI In Newborns
Once a UTI is diagnosed in a newborn, treatment usually starts in the hospital so the team can watch breathing, circulation, and fluid balance while antibiotics begin.
Antibiotic Plan
Most newborns first receive intravenous antibiotics so medicine reaches steady levels in the blood. When the baby improves and lab results return, the team may switch to oral medicine to finish a several-day course, depending on age, how sick the baby was, and any kidney or structural findings.
Research in young infants suggests that many stable babies do well with a short intravenous phase followed by oral treatment, which can shorten hospital stays without sacrificing safety.
Monitoring And Discharge
Throughout treatment, staff track temperature, feeding, diapers, and lab values, while parents share how alert the baby looks and how well feeds go. Before discharge, the team reviews medicines, warning signs that should trigger an urgent call, and plans for follow-up visits or repeat urine checks.
Follow-Up And Preventing Later UTIs
Once the acute infection settles, the next step is looking at whether anything in the urinary system could invite more infections. For many newborns, a first UTI never returns; others may need closer follow-up.
Imaging And Specialist Visits
Some babies, especially those with fever, kidney involvement, or unusual bacteria, may be referred for a kidney and bladder ultrasound. This non-invasive test looks for scarring, swelling, reflux of urine back toward the kidneys, or any blockage along the urinary tract.
If the ultrasound reveals a concern, a pediatric nephrologist or urologist may join the care team to decide whether further tests or preventive antibiotics make sense. The plan depends on the baby’s age, infection history, and imaging findings.
Practical Steps At Home
Day-to-day habits also help lower the chance of another UTI. Parents can:
- Change diapers often so moisture and stool do not sit against the skin.
- Wipe from front to back on babies with vulvas so bacteria move away from the urethra.
- Offer feeds on cue and attend regular checkups so weight and growth stay on track.
- Tell the clinician quickly about new fevers, foul-smelling urine, or change in feeding or alertness.
These steps cannot guarantee that a UTI will never return, but they help create conditions that make infection less likely and ensure that any new problem is caught early.
Answering The Question: Can A Newborn Get A UTI?
So can a newborn get a UTI? Yes, and it needs quick care. Newborns seldom show burning or stinging during urination. Instead they show patterns such as fever, feeding changes, vomiting, unusual sleepiness that lead the clinician to test urine and blood.
Parents help by knowing the main signs, using a rectal thermometer, and calling early. Clinicians help by collecting urine in a clean way and starting the right antibiotic. Working together keeps the odds of kidney damage or serious illness as low as possible.