Question
My child (a male baby) is now 15 months old and has been urinating more frequently than other children since birth. About an hour after drinking water, he starts to urinate every 30 minutes, and then it gradually shortens to every 7-8 minutes, with each urination not containing much volume. I don’t know if this is normal or a problem. Could you please give me some advice from an expert?
Answer
Hello: When a child exhibits frequent urination symptoms, parents should first consider if the child has a urinary tract infection and check for issues such as phimosis, balanitis, bladder hyperreactivity, urine reflux, or stones. If all test results show normal, then the child’s frequent urination may be due to psychological factors.
Causes of Psychological Frequent Urination
Children’s mental development is not yet mature and are susceptible to influences from external environments, suggestive language, and other stimuli. Their control, stress resistance, and expression abilities are not yet fully developed. Therefore, even slight stimuli such as residual urine stimulating the foreskin and private parts, friction from uncomfortable clothing, water sounds or whistling sounds can trigger a child’s urge to urinate. Parents’ habits and personalities may also have an impact on the child, such as parents themselves having frequent urination issues, overemphasizing not to hold urine, frequently reminding the child whether they need to urinate, or the child being under pressure from academic performance, family life, and peer relationships. Additionally, if the child is naturally impulsive and anxious, these factors can lead to psychological frequent urination in children.
Treatment for Psychological Frequent Urination
The treatment for psychological frequent urination should first be psychological therapy. Therefore, the first step is to determine the cause and then proceed with behavioral therapy, also known as “urination retention training.” Parents should understand that “urination retention” and “frequent urination” are defined based on the amount of urine.