Abstract Objective: The goal was to provide a prospective comparison and determine the validity of urine and blood tests for detection of urinary tract infections (UTIs) in young children. Material and Methods: The study population con- sisted of a random sample of children 0.5-12 years of age who presented to the Education and Research Hospital of Recep Tayyip Erdoğan University with symptoms suggesting UTIs. Urine samples were obtained from every child by urinary bag collection or clean catch as appropriate for age. Urine specimens underwent four tests simultaneously: nitrite, leuko- cyte esterase, urinalysis (microscopic), and urine culture. Complete blood count and C-reactive protein (CRP) of participants were tested in blood samples. Results: A total of 327 children were included in the study; 45.5% of boys and 31.4% of girls had a posi- tive urine culture result, and 30.4% of assessed urine samples were evaluated as contamination. Based on the study, the most sensitive test for the diagnosis of UTI was microscopy, and the most specific test for the diagnosis of UTIs was nitrite. Conclusion: According to the findings obtained from the study, microscopy should be considered as a basic test with culture, but the results of microscopy must be supported by other tests, especially nitrite. CRP is unlikely to be a good parameter for the screening of UTIs according to the study.