Printable Safety Guides

Pain during urination can be caused by infection in the urinary system; irritation or injury of the genital area; or stones (small masses of minerals) in the urinary tract. Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are the most common cause of painful urination.

Signs and Symptoms

• burning or stinging with urination
• the urge to urinate more often
• bad-smelling, bloody, or discolored urine (pee)
• fever or chills
• decreased appetite or activity
• irritability
• nausea or vomiting
• lower back pain or abdominal (belly) pain
• wetting accidents (in potty-trained kids)

What to Do

• Call the doctor if your child has pain while urinating or can’t urinate.
• Follow the doctor’s treatment instructions.
• Encourage drinking lots of water and other fluids (like cranberry juice).
• Give acetaminophen or ibuprofen as needed for discomfort.

Think Prevention!

• Avoid bubble baths and perfumed soaps — wash the genital area with only mild soap or lukewarm water.
• Change soiled and very wet diapers right away.
• Remind kids to go to the bathroom often.
• Teach girls to gently wipe from front to back and make sure no tiny pieces of toilet paper get left behind.
• Have sexually active teens screened for sexually transmitted diseases (STDs).

Vomiting can be caused by many things, most commonly gastroenteritis (the “stomach flu”). Vomiting can cause kids to lose fluids, salts, and minerals, so it’s important to make sure these are replaced.

What to Do

1. Do not feed milk products or solid foods to a child who has been vomiting.

2. Give small amounts of fluid:

• For babies: about 1 tablespoon (tbsp.) of oral electrolyte solution (ORS) every 15-20 minutes; shorter but more frequent breastfeeding
• For kids: 1-2 tbsp. every 15 minutes of ORS, ice chips, flat ginger ale or lemon-lime soda, clear broth, ice pops, or diluted juice

If your child vomits again, wait 20-30 minutes and start over.

3. Gradually increase the amount of fluids once there’s no vomiting for 3 to 4 hours.

4. After 8 hours without vomiting:

• For babies: breastfeed as usual and, if used, gradually reintroduce formula (1-2 ounces)
• For kids: serve bland foods (rice, applesauce, toast, cereal, crackers)

5. Resume regular diet after 24 hours without vomiting. Call the doctor if it starts again.

Seek Medical Care

If:

Vomiting is accompanied by:

• signs of dehydration, such as dry mouth, sunken eyes, decrease in urination (peeing)
• inability to keep clear fluids down
• vomit that’s greenish-yellow, looks like coffee grounds, or contains blood
• a hard, bloated, or painful abdomen (belly)
• extreme irritability
• swelling, redness, or pain in a boy’s scrotum
• projectile or forceful vomiting in a newborn

Think Prevention!

• Wash hands well and often, especially before cooking or eating and after touching raw meat or going to the bathroom.
• Avoid close contact with anyone with a stomach bug.

Warts are common skin infections that can affect any area of the body, but tend to occur on the fingers, hands, elbows, and bottom of the feet. Warts generally don’t cause serious problems, so they may not need to be removed.

There are several types of warts, including common warts, flat warts, and plantar warts.

Signs and Symptoms

Of a common wart include:

• located on back of hands, around nails, and in the mouth, or at the site of cuts and scratches
• a small flesh-colored bump
• a rough surface that looks like cauliflower
• pink or white soft bumps in the mouth
• tiny black dots inside the wart

Of a flat wart include:

• located on the face, neck, arms, or legs
• small smooth bumps with a flat top
• flesh-colored or pink to light brown
• may occur in groups of 20 to 100

Of a plantar wart include:

• located on the sole of the foot
• pressed into the skin
• tiny black dots inside
• may be painful

What to Do

Without treatment, it can take anywhere from 6 months to 2 years for a wart to go away. Ask a doctor to recommend wart removal treatments.

Seek Medical Care

If:

• a young child or infant has a wart anywhere on the body
• the wart is on the face, genitals, or rectum
• the wart becomes painful or red
• the wart is swollen, bleeding, or oozing pus

Think Prevention!

Although there’s no way to prevent warts, it’s always a good idea to encourage kids to wash their hands and skin often. If your child has a cut or scratch, use soap and water to clean the area because open wounds are more likely to develop warts and other infections. If a wart develops, make sure your child doesn’t scratch the area.