March of Dimes
Your Baby’s Belly Button Stump
 
Caring for the Umbilical Cord Stump

Your baby's umbilical cord stump will drop off in about 10 days. Until then, keep it clean and dry.
  • Tuck the diaper below the cord so that the cord is exposed to the air.
  • Each time you change the diaper, dip a cotton swab in rubbing alcohol, and gently clean the area where the cord and belly meet.
  • Call the baby's provider if you see pus or redness or if the baby cries when you touch the area. These could be signs of infection.

To learn how to give your baby a sponge bath until his belly button heals, read Bathing Your Baby.

March 2007


  
  © 2008 March of Dimes Foundation. All rights reserved. The March of Dimes is a not-for-profit organization recognized as tax-exempt under Internal Revenue Code section 501(c)(3). Our mission is to improve the health of babies by preventing birth defects, premature birth, and infant mortality.