Never make a child wait for the toilet as it will increase infection risk, doctors warn

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Health Service guidelines said being forced to delay a trip to the toilet can increase a child's risk of developing a urinary tract infection.

UTIs are bacterial infections affecting 82,000 under-16s every year.

If left undiagnosed, they can lead to permanent kidney problems, according to the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence.

The guidance said doctors should tell parents to encourage children to drink plenty of fluids and to use the toilet as soon as they need to.

It warns that UTIs can easily be missed because their symptoms - which include fever - are hard to diagnose.

NICE highlighted the importance of swift treatment, with failure to do so leading to possible permanent damage of the kidneys.

Warning signs include vomiting, tiredness and irritability, it said.

The guidance added that all children who have an unexplained fever of 38 degrees or higher should have their urine tested within 24 hours.

Those aged under three months with a UTI should be referred immediately to a paediatrician and treated with antibiotics.

Andrew Dillon, chief executive at NICE, said: "Urinary tract infections in children can be both distressing for the child and worrying for parents, especially where a very young child or baby is affected."

Dr Kate Verrier Jones, chairman of the group which wrote the guidelines, said: "UTIs in babies and young children can be overlooked because the symptoms can be quite general, so we hope that health professionals will now consider UTIs as a diagnosis."

Consultant nephrologist Dr Kjell Tullus added that it was important that children who repeatedly suffered from UTIs were referred to a specialist.