Helping Toddler with Infection Pee

[JMCHags]

Our 2.5yo has been diagnosed with a penis infection and will hold his pee for 8 hours at a time because he is scared to go. Is there anything we can do to make it more comfortable and encourage him to go more often? I tried a warm bath, but he is afraid to sit down. A couple of times just standing in the bath seemed to relax him enough to get him to go, but now he is on to us and I don't think that trick trick will work anymore.

[hakunangovi]

I'm not sure how to encourage him to go, other than what you have been doing with running water etc.  However, the one time that my DS was diagnosed with  an infection, the antibiotics kicked in very quickly and he was cured in a day, so it was very short lived.  I suppose the bottom line is that sooner or later his bladder will fill up and willpower will not be able to overcome physics!

[bugmenot]

I wonder if it's separation discomfort?

[loveandgarbage]

My son had a penis infection recently (it was fungal) and he was also scared to pee. He was prescribed a cream and it cleared up within a week. The painful peeing cleared up right away, though. Did you get meds for him?

[JMCHags]

Yes, he has been on abx since Monday. Now once he actually goes it doesn't seem to hurt, but he is still scared to go and holding it for 8+ hrs and refusing to use the potty- he only wants to pee in a diaper. We didn't indulge his request for a diaper today, so hopefully he will be back on the potty soon.

[mama24-7]

Originally Posted by JMCHags 

Yes, he has been on abx since Monday. Now once he actually goes it doesn't seem to hurt, but he is still scared to go and holding it for 8+ hrs and refusing to use the potty- he only wants to pee in a diaper. We didn't indulge his request for a diaper today, so hopefully he will be back on the potty soon.

Welcome to MDC.  I hope your son is better real soon.

I just wanted to ask...if he's hurting & he knows what will make it easier for him to go pee, why withhold it?  I can imagine you might be worried that he'd revert back to diapers.  If that's the worst that happens, isn't it better than him being in pain or very uncomfortable because he's holding it so long?  And, if he's potty trained, how long might it last?  A few weeks, a few months?  Plus, if it is a UTI (which you did not say what it was), holding his pee isn't going to help it, even w/ abx.  And, just in case it matters, i'm not a fan of diapers myself.  I've EC'd two children now, one from 12 months old, the 2nd from 3 days old.  I just wondered why you'd keep something from him that would help him.  Perspective.

Best wishes,

Sus

PS - I don't need the answers to the questions.  They're for you to answer for yourself.

[JMCHags]

Well, as helpful as the diaper was the first couple of days when it was really hurting him to pee and he was going to hold it in no matter what, toward the end I started feeling like it was enabling him to keep holding it, knowing that the diaper would be there when he finally really had to let it out. Once the diaper was gone, he was self-conscious enough about not wanting to pee on the floor, that we did eventually get him to calm down enough to go on the potty and realize that it didn't hurt anymore, and he has been back to normal since.

For future moms looking to encourage the child to pee, I think the most helpful advice was the bit about "willpower will not be able to overcome physics". We gave lots of fluids, adding chicken stock to meal recipes to sneak them in if he wasn't drinking, which I think got him peeing a little more frequently.