Health Library

Urine Collection: 24-Hour

When your child’s healthcare provider orders a 24-hour urine collection, you will help your child collect urine for a full 24 hours. For example, if the collection starts at 8 am Monday, it is to be completed at 8 am Tuesday.

Choose a time that is best for you and your child.

You should collect every drop of urine during the 24-hour period. It does not matter how much or little urine is passed each time, as long as every drop is collected.

Needed Supplies

• Plastic container for collection that can be picked up at any Cincinnati Children’s lab location
• Urine “hat” for under the toilet seat to collect urine for females

Urine Collection Procedure

1. Have your child urinate (empty the bladder) at the start time (example: when child awakes at 8 am Monday) and flush it down the toilet.
2. You have now started your child's 24-hour urine collection. This is your child's start time. Write your child's name, the date and this starting time on the card attached to the urine container.
3. For the next 24 hours, collect all of your child's urine in the urine container. Save all urine throughout the 24-hour period.
• The urine should not be mixed with bowel movements (poop). If a female patient, and the urine and bowel movements occur together in the urine hat, you must restart the 24-hour urine collection.
• Be sure not to discard any toilet paper into the hat. Pour the urine from the hat into the urine container. Store the container at room temperature.
• If your child is a male, have him urinate directly into the urine container. Store the container at room temperature.
4. Twenty-four hours after the collection is begun (example: when child awakes at 8 am Tuesday), have your child empty their bladder and add this urine to the container. Try to get your child to urinate as closely as possible to the end of the 24-hour time period. This is your child's stop time. Write the date and this stop time on the card attached to the urine container. No more urine is needed.
5. The containers may be kept at room temperature for a day or two, but should be kept cool or refrigerated for longer periods of time.

Note for females: Blood in the urine can affect the results of some laboratory tests. If your child is menstruating, ask your child's healthcare provider whether you need to postpone the urine collection.