5 helpful tips for your baby’s umbilical cord care
This post may contain affiliate links, review our disclosure policy for details
Did you know that I didn’t take all three of my babies a bath until their umbilical cord fell off? I did let my mom and aunt do the honors because I was too nervous to do it. The good news is that you do not need to be intimidated or nervous of taking your newborn a bath or caring for your newborn’s umbilical cord. These 5 helpful tips for your baby’s umbilical cord care will help you understand how to take care of it and why you should.
Once your baby is born and his or hers umbilical cord is cut, a small piece of it remains attached. Your baby’s umbilical cord will usually fall off by itself after 2 to 4 weeks. It will also change color to a dark brown or black color once it starts to dry, do not panic because this is totally normal.
The only thing I would suggest you to do is to take care of it by following these simple and helpful umbilical cord care tips. Taking care of your baby’s umbilical cord is not hard at all but you do have to be gently and careful when caring for it. These 5 helpful tips for your baby’s umbilical cord care tips will guide you in the right direction.
How do I know if my baby’s umbilical cord is infected?
- Your baby’s umbilical cord has a foul odor.
- You see pus or yellow discharge coming out from it.
- It’s bleeding
- swelling around baby’s umbilical cord area
- Baby has a fever
What happens if I accidentally pull off umbilical cord?
If you accidentally pull off baby’s umbilical stump it will start to bleed or you may see a drop of blood. You can wipe off the blood and if it continues to bleed, please call your baby’s pediatrician.
How long does baby belly button take to heal?
It can take between 1 to 3 weeks for baby’s belly button to heal.
5 helpful tips for your baby’s umbilical cord care
1.Keep dry
It is very important that when caring for your baby’s umbilical cord you keep it dry. The reason for this, is that the umbilical cord can easily get infected if it’s wet. The safe bet is to not wet it and to maintain it dry for faster and easier healing.
Here’s a great First Time Mom Guide on how to rock baby’s first year and life as a new mom! Thrive and not just survive. Read it here!
Below is a great option to cover baby’s baby belly button to prevent from getting wet or from being touched:
2.Fold diaper
I learned this trick from my aunt who would always do this with all three of my children. It’s super simple and really effective in keeping your baby’s umbilical cord from having pressure on it. This method also helps in letting the umbilical cord “breathe”. You simply put your baby’s newborn diapers on, like you would normally do and then fold the front top part of the diaper, either inward or outward.
This is a great way to keep the diaper from rubbing into the umbilical cord and it’s also a helpful way to let your baby’s umbilical cord heal with ease. If you want to teach your baby to self soothe and fall to sleep on his own so that you and baby can sleep longer, you have to read this guide!
Shop my my favorite diapers:
Watch video on how to burp your newborn baby:
3.Bathe carefully
Like I said before, I didn’t take my kids a bath until the umbilical cord fell off, but my mom and aunt did. They carefully took my newborn babies sponge baths using a baby washcloth and making sure that the umbilical cord did not get wet.
You can use a washcloth or sponge to take your baby a bath by wetting it with water and baby wash and then simply patting it on your baby’s body and around baby’s umbilical cord stump. Do not pour water on your baby’s body because you run the risk of getting the umbilical cord wet.
When drying your newborn baby, you may want to pat dry carefully around your baby’s umbilical cord, this way you don’t accidentally rub the umbilical cord with the cloth.
Shop tub baths for baby:
4.Comfortable clothes
When caring for your baby’s umbilical cord, make sure that your baby is wearing comfortable clothes. For example, do not have your baby in tight fitted clothing or clothes that will make your baby too hot in. Moisture can get into the umbilical cord and may cause infection or may take longer to heal.
I loved having my children in onesies because they were super comfortable in it and also it did not press into their umbilical cord, if I make sense?
5.Heal naturally
Letting your baby’s umbilical cord heal naturally is very important. Try your best to not touch it or even try to take it out yourself. Please do not do this, if you do, your baby’s umbilical cord may develop an infection and you do not want this.
Let your baby’s umbilical cord heal at it’s own pace because it will naturally come off when it’s time. You probably won’t even notice. If you do notice, you probably will see it on your baby’s crib like I did! I kept all three of my children’s umbilical cord as a keepsake but don’t ask me where it is now, ha!
If you see any of these happening with your baby’s umbilical cord, it can be a sign of infection. Please don’t hesitate to call your doctor 🙂
A newborn baby requires a lot of love, attention and care. One of the first things that you will have to take care of is your baby’s umbilical cord. This may sound like a scary task, but I promise you that it’s not.
Quick Recap:
Simple ways in which you can take care of your baby’s umbilical cord is by always keeping it dry so it can heal faster. When changing your baby’s diaper, make sure you fold the front side, this way the diaper is not touching or putting pressure on the umbilical cord. One important tips is to let your baby;s umbilical cord heal naturally and have your baby in comfortable, loose clothes.
Do you have more tips to add to this list, please let me know!
These are all such good points! My son actually was the one who pulled off my daughter’s cord before it was ready but luckily it didn’t bleed and it didn’t hurt her. Darn those pesky toddlers! This time our baby’s cord fell off by itself! It definitely takes some reading to learn how to take care of them!
Chelsea @ Life With My Littles recently posted…9 Things to Do When You’re Breastfeeding