Getting a urine sample from a toddler?

[JustPossum]

DS has an appointment soon at the Allergy Clinic (hurrah!) They require a urine sample. He is 16 months. Very mobile. How on earth do I get a sample from him? Do I just take his nappy off and chase him around the house until he feels the urge to pee? But it's january, I don't want him to get blue with cold in the process. Ideas, please?

Is it possible to take along the morning nappy and let them (ahem) take it from that?

Or ask them how you do these things.

ask for a bag you can stick on him for a bit that catches the wee, or sit hi on a potty and give him a big drink

when DD was born they wanted a urine sample, they gave me a pad to put in the nappy. I am not sure if the chemicals in a disposable would interfere with whatever they are screening for. A cloth nappy might be ok.

He is in disposables (tried with cloth and failed) so I agree the gel in it might negate any tests they run on the urine. He will not sit on a potty, unless he does so to leap up and up-end it on his head

He will wee - copiously - like Niagra Falls - all over the floor/our duvet/the wool rug - if i don't put a nappy on him immediately after a change, but if I am actually waiting for him to wee, oh no, that just doesn't happen. It's as if he knows

I will ask at the surgery about a bag, I have a bizarre vision of me trying to attach a Waitrose carrier bag to his middle with string - I'm hoping there is something more medically appropriate that they can give me! I have no prior experience of this and feel a bit non plussed.

Collecting urine with a collection pad

1. Wash your child's bottom using soap and water, and dry. Do not put any cream or talc on.
2. Place the pad inside a disposable nappy which has been put on inside out (with the plastic side next to the skin). Position the pad carefully over the front of your baby's bottom.
3. Check every 10 minutes, until the pad is wet, and then take it out (if it is soiled, start again!).
4. Lay the pad down, wet side up.
5. Wash your hands.
6. Take a 5ml syringe, and place its tip on the wet pad. Gently pull the plunger up. You will see urine slowly appear in the syringe.
7. Hold the tip of the syringe over the open sterile bottle. Press the plunger down to squirt the urine out, and into the bottle. If necessary, you can repeat stages 6 and 7 several times to get enough urine.
8. Put the cap on the bottle.

get a freezer or non leaky plastic bag, put four holes in it and thread long string to make a belt. Put bag around under bits and tie on. Empty bag into container.
Or chase with potty!
Or cover cot with plastic sheet and towel overnight. Change wet sheets late evening or after afternoon nap and wring out urine into container.

Ask your surgery if they have a U-Bag (paediatric urine collection bag). It's a sample bag that you can stick over the genitals to catch the wee, then you remove it and it sort of folds over and seals so they can test the contents.

oh Colditz THANK YOU, that is so useful. That all makes sense to me, I can just make a collection pad, yes? Boil washed (dry obviously) folded muslin? And sterilised syringe, which i have - hurrah, no problems about gathering enough of a sample, the child wees for Britain.

Thank you all, I was getting quite stressed about this as we have waited so long for a referral and I want to do everything right to help the clinic come to some conclusions about what is triggering his hideous eczema.

Maybe I should start a separate thread about this, but we have also been asked to take along any fruit or veg that we suspect he's allergic to. What will they do with said f&v? Usual reaction is major vomiting and red flares on his face and chest, will he have to go through that?

Incidentally, the referral letter was sent straight to DS:
"Dear Mr MiniPossum, Please bring an early morning sample of your urine in a clean bottle. If you suspect you are allergic to fruits or vegetables, please bring along one of each. Priority car parking is available on site. Please show this letter to gain access".

Mr MiniPossum promptly tried to chew the letter - I don't think he'll be driving himself there.

They will test him with contact with the fruit and veg and gradually increase exposure over the day (or at least that is what they did to my dd with milk). There was another child having peanut test and seemed to be same thing, first contact on skin, half an hour later contact in mouth, half an hour later eat tiny piece etc.

Every letter we have ever had from the hospital requests that we bring along a urine sample to the appointment. We have never yet been asked for one. I've never taken one. I just presume it's a standard letter that doesn't take into account the age of the child. I'd ring and check they really want one before going to any effort.

On a couple of occasions during an appt, they've decided to do a urine sample, and they've just popped a bag on him for an hour while we go to the cafe, and then taken it off once he's done a wee.

Your doctor should be able to provide you with a pack for this. It contains all the stuff colditz mentioned. The pad is like a very basic sanitary pad, stuffed with cotton wool instead of gel crystals.

I've had to do this a couple of times now for dd1, and it works quite well if you can predict their poo times!

I just put cotton wool into ds nappy and the wring it out into collection bottle. Sample has always been fine