How Much Urine Should a Baby Pass?

by Preethi
(Banglore,India)

My daughter is 10 months old. She is passing small amounts of urine 3-4 times a day. Is that ok?

It seems to me that she is not peeing often enough. How can I know if this is normal or not? Do I need to give her more to drink?

Find answers and comments below.

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Baby Help Line Response:

Hi Preethi,

As long as your daughter's urine is pale in color (not dark yellow or orange) and not smelly, she is likely to pee enough. If you're worried, try offering her water often. Even just a small sip, but frequently, will make her consumption increase quite a lot compared to drinking only at meals.

However, again if the urine is pale and she doesn't seem to be thirsty or otherwise ill, she is likely to be fine.

Other indications that your baby is not getting the liquid she needs are if she appears to have a dry mouth or eyes and if she is weak and without energy.

As far as I know there are no real golden rules on how often a baby should be peeing, it is very individual. However, one guideline I see sometimes is that a baby should have at least four wet diapers per day, but preferably between 6 an8 heavy diapers per day. But this guideline is usually for newborn babies, older babies have a larger bladder, of course. My guess is that again if the urine is pale and mild smelling and your daughter has not had any particular problems in this area before, she is likely to be fine. But if you're really concerned it is always better to talk to a paediatrician.

Another thing – is your girl off diapers? Otherwise it might be that she actually pees more often, but only small amounts, so that you don't notice all the times she actually passes urine.


Hope this helps!

Paula