Your 3 year old's pee smelling so strong can be a result of dehydration and not getting enough water and fluids to drink or can also be a result of certain foods they eat or even a metabolic disorder, diabetes or a urinary tract infection also known as a UTI.
Ensure your 3 year old is getting enough water and fluids to drink to stay hydration, as the urine when the 3 year old is dehydrated will become more concentrated and can have a strong, ammonia like smell.
And certain foods like garlic, cabbage, broccoli, asparagus, etc can also cause your 3 year old to have strong smelling urine.
In most cases, a 3 year old having a strong smelling pee is nothing serious, but if it continues and doesn't go away with hydration and lasts longer than a few days, you should take the 3 year old to the doctor to get checked out.
When you have a UTI your pee will often smell like ammonia or even a fishy odor and will smell strong or foul.
Your pee can smell like ammonia or a fishy odor with a UTI, due to the bacteria producing ammonia and your urinary tract breaking down urea into ammonia.
The smell of the urine with a UTI or urinary tract infection, can be very distinct and noticeable and is often described as an ammonia smell.
Other symptoms of a UTI or urinary tract infection are pain or burning when urinating, urinating a small amount, blood in urine and even back pain.
If you think you have a UTI or urinary tract infection you should see a doctor or go to the ER, especially if you're peeing blood as the UTI can lead to a kidney infection and even death if left untreated.
UTIs or urinary tract infections usually happen because bacteria enter the urethra, then make their way up into the bladder and cause an infection.
Girls get UTIs much more often than guys, most likely due to differences in the shape and length of the urethra.
Usually, a short course of antibiotics will clear up a UTI in a matter of days.
Urgent care is a great place to be seen and treated for a UTI because patients can be seen quickly, properly assessed and prescribed antibiotics.
If you don't have an urgent care center near you or you don't have health insurance, then going to the ER is the next best thing for a UTI as a UTI can kill you and should be considered an emergency.