Mom’s Question:
My 9-month-old baby’s pee smells bad, especially the nappy I change in the morning.
She pees frequently and she drinks 19ozs of milk a day and has water at every mealtime. Her pee is not dark in color and she doesn’t seem to be in any discomfort, but I am concerned with this sudden change in smell.
Lianne
Easy Baby Life
Reasons for Smelly Urine In Infants
It is good that you pay attention even though your baby doesn’t seem to be ill, sinces sometimes a baby’s pee can smell strong because they have a Urinary Tract Infection. However, in such cases it is usually accompanied by fever and a lot of crying.
Here are some possible reasons for smelly pee in babies:
1. Normal!
It is possible that your baby’s pee smell is completely normal, and just smelling a bit more now than when she was younger. A lot of what you write point in that direction – she is drinking enough fluids, she is otherwise healthy, and her urine is pale. So chances are that this is simply the way her pee smells right now.
The fact that the first diaper in the morning is the most smelly one is completely normal. The diaper hasn’t been changed for several hours and can certainly begin to smell even if the baby is completely healthy.
2. Something she or you ate
I don’t know if you breastfeed, but if you do, changes in your diet can actually affect the smell of your baby’s urine. I have read reports that breastfeeding moms that take antibiotics, or that eat lots of aspargus or garlic sometimes notice changes in their babies urine.
Similarly, if you have introduced new foods to your baby recently, this could certainly affect the smell of her urine.
3. A Urinary Tract Infection
As I mentioned above, smelly urine can also be a sign of a urinary tract infection (UTIs). In most cases, this would not be the only symptom. An unexplained fever is actually a more common symptom. (Read more about signs of urinary tract infections in babies here.)
A Canadian research study actually examined the correlation between smelly urine and UTIs and found UTIs among 57% of the babies whos parents reported smelly urine. So, this can certainly indicate a urineare tract infection, but it is not a certain sign at all.
It should be noted that urinary tract infections are much more common among girls than boys, so it would be wise to rule this out for your daughter.
4. Too little fluid
I don’t think this is relevant for your situation, but a strong smell of a baby’s urine can, of course, also be a sign that they are getting too little fluids. This could, for example, happen in hot weather or if the baby has been sick. In such a case, the urine would also become darker.
What to do?
If this smell is still bothering you I would go to the Dr and get it checked out to rule out a UTI and try to narrow down what is causing the smell. Write down what your baby eats and drinks for a day or two before you go – or of course what you eat and drink if you breastfeed.
If your baby doesn’t have any other symptoms she is probably just eating something that’s making it smell bad.
Your baby seems to be getting enough fluids so I would try giving your baby a little bit of cranberry juice for babies.
I hope this helps,
Paula
More About Baby Urination
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