What is (are) Urinary Tract Infections in Children ?
The urinary tract is the bodys drainage system for removing wastes and extra water. The urinary tract includes two kidneys, two ureters, a bladder, and a urethra. The kidneys are a pair of bean-shaped organs, each about the size of a fist and located below the ribs, one on each side of the spine, toward the middle of the back. Every minute, a persons kidneys filter about 3 ounces of blood, removing wastes and extra water. The wastes and extra water make up the 1 to 2 quarts of urine an adult produces each day. Children produce less urine each day; the amount produced depends on their age. The urine travels from the kidneys down two narrow tubes called the ureters. The urine is then stored in a balloonlike organ called the bladder. Routinely, urine drains in only one directionfrom the kidneys to the bladder. The bladder fills with urine until it is full enough to signal the need to urinate. In children, the bladder can hold about 2 ounces of urine plus 1 ounce for each year of age. For example, an 8-year-olds bladder can hold about 10 ounces of urine.
                
When the bladder empties, a muscle called the sphincter relaxes and urine flows out of the body through a tube called the urethra at the bottom of the bladder. The opening of the urethra is at the end of the penis in boys and in front of the vagina in girls.