To raise a child, parents must always pay attention to every little detail: baby’s feelings, sleeping time, food for the baby, etc.
Every small change from normal is also a sign that the child’s body has changed (positive and negative).
Specifically, you might wonder why my baby didn’t pee all night. Indeed, this is also a problem that mothers often worry about.
If you are curious, this post is the solution for you. Read on for the most detailed answer!
Is It Normal If My Baby Didn’t Pee All Night?
If you want to decide whether it is normal when a kid doesn’t pee all night, you might consider their age first.
In short, it’s rather normal for a toddler or older kids, but for newborns and under-6-month-old babies, it’s a sign of dehydration.
The time they need to pee depends on their bladder capacity. So how long can a newborn go without peeing? Newborns frequently go up to three hours without peeing.
In addition, your baby’s bladder’s ability to store more pee will become more apparent as they age.
Thus, babies under 6 months old may be dehydrated if they have little to no pee in 4 to 6 hours. The older infants may already spend more than 6 hours without urinating.
This way, they will also get a deep sleep through the night, which may be why your kid doesn’t go number 1 at night.
However, should they produce little to no urine in 6 to 8 hours for a toddler, dehydration can also be a reason.
4 Main Reasons Of A Baby Not Peeing Overnight
Whether your child is a kid or a toddler, when they show a change in their peeing time, especially if a baby didn’t pee at night, you need to find the reasons.
They can be various, including dehydration, infections, neurogenic bladder, and bladder control.
Let’s scroll down to take an in-depth look at these causes.
Dehydration
One of the most common reasons for a baby not urinating at night is dehydration.
It can happen when your children have been active for a whole day but do not drink enough water or fluids.
In this circumstance, they will produce little urine. It makes you hardly see urine on their diapers because diapers are designed effectively to absorb pee.
Some high-quality diapers can even prevent blowouts.
Besides not drinking enough water, urine output may be lessened while a child has an illness, such as persistent fever, vomiting, or diarrhea.
Urinary Tract Infections (UTI)
Urinary tract infections often cause pain when peeing. These infections are more frequent in females than in boys due to anatomical reasons.
Bacteria from the digestive system are the primary cause of most infections.
Escherichia coli (E. coli) bacteria are the most prevalent. Normally, the colon is where they reside.
Older toddlers will show their discomfort and cry during urination. Moreover, some can refuse to use the bathroom out of concern for the pain they could feel.
Urinary tract infections in children under 2 years old can be more challenging to identify since their symptoms are different from those of adults or older children.
Sometimes, the sole indication is a fever or urine with an unpleasant smell.
Neurogenic Issues Of The Bladder
Innervation of a child’s bladder muscles may be compromised due to a birth injury or an underlying neurological issue, making urination be challenging.
Spina bifida, neonatal stroke, and cerebral palsy are a few examples of this.
As a result, when kids manifest one of these, they need double care. You might pay attention to the symptoms below and take them to the hospital for proper treatment:
- Can not control pee
- A small amount of urine during voiding
- Urinary urgency and frequency
- Dribbling urine
- No feeling of the full bladder
Bladder Control Ability
On a more positive note, less urination may indicate bladder control, particularly if the prolonged dry spell occurs at night. It can take a toddler a while to master this ability.
Infants don’t have the physical or mental capacity to master this skill until they are 12 months old.
Some parents start practicing toilet training when their child is one year old, depending on their family’s circumstances and cultural customs.
According to some studies, some children can regulate their bladder completely by the time they’re 18 months old, but others don’t achieve this skill until they’re 4 years old.
Control over the night usually develops later. A five-year-old still frequently has bed wetting at night.
Warning Signs To Find Medical Help When A Baby Didn’t Pee Overnight
Although it is common for newborns to urinate less frequently at night when they become older, you need also be alert for any warning signs of problems with the baby’s urine.
Below are some to check for:
Color Of The Urine
In addition to the child’s peeing frequency, it is crucial to notice the color of the urine. Your child’s urine may fall between light and dark yellow.
More condensed urine has a deeper hue. This might mean your kid isn’t getting the recommended amount of water.
As a result, you need to encourage your kid to drink more water or fluids. When the urine’s color becomes light yellow, this problem has been improved.
Abnormal Stain On The Diaper
Whenever you change the diaper for your kid, please notice any abnormal stain on it.
If you see pink fluid on the diaper, it’s acceptable. People often mistake it for a blood stain.
Yet, it implies your kid produces concentrated urine. Should your baby wet at least four diapers each day, this is OK, as per the AAP.
However, blood in your child’s diaper is no longer normal. Even if a little diaper soreness or rash could cause it, you should see your doctor right away to get it properly evaluated.
Besides, you need to check whether you put on the diapers correctly or not.
Cry And Pain When Peeing
Your infant should urinate without expressing any signs of distress or pain.
It’s advisable to consult a doctor once the children have any abdominal pain or strain when peeing. This might be a signal that your baby has a urinary tract infection.
If your little one continues to release little or even no urine for 4-6 hours, you’d better check for the other accompanying symptoms your baby is manifesting.
In some cases, less urine output might imply dehydration in babies, which can threaten their lives. When you also spot these symptoms below, your baby is suffering from dehydration:
- Dry mouth, tongue, and lip mucous membranes
- Skin is dry and heals from being pinched too slowly
- Fontanelle recessed or soft spot
- Fast breathing and heartbeat
- Dark eye bags beneath the eyes
Continue feeding your infant if you observe that they are peeing less and have any of the symptoms above, and get in touch with a doctor at once.
Conclusion
In short, if a baby didn’t pee all night, it could be a sign of many reasons: dehydration, urinary tract infections, neurogenic issues, and bladder control.
However, it often isn’t a problem when your infant has at least four wet sheets during the day.
A baby not passing urine at night can also be a warning sign of more severe problems.
As a result, parents should take notice of any difference in the peeing issues of a child and seek medical help.
