Pediatrician Tanya Altmann discusses how to handle your baby’s umbilical cord after birth and gives some useful tips. The goal is for your baby’s umbilical cord to stay dry and shrivel up so it will fall off on its own, which can happen anywhere from a couple weeks to a couple months after birth. The best way to keep their umbilical cord area dry during a bath, is to use a sponge bath. This will only involve a soft washcloth, water, and some mild baby soap to clean around the area. While it’s normal for there to be a little bit of dried blood after the umbilical cord has fallen off, if it persists for more than a few days, has strong odors, or your baby is in pain, call a doctor.

Transcript:

- After your baby is born, the doctor will clamp and cut the umbilical cord. In fact, sometimes, if you have a partner, or a father in the room, they'll even let them assist in cutting the cord. After that, there's really not a lot you need to do. You want to keep the area clean and dry. So, if you get stool or urine up in the area of your baby's umbilical cord, then your doctor may recommend washing it off with gentle soap and water, but, really, the best thing is to keep it dry. So, when you bathe your baby and the umbilical cord is still on, you'll wanna use what's called a sponge bath. So, take a soft washcloth and just wash your baby with some water and maybe some mild baby soap, and really try to avoid getting the umbilical area wet, because the longer it stays dry, the more it'll help it dry up, shrivel up, and fall off, and heal on its own. Many moms, when they're diapering their babies, they like to fold the diaper down, so it doesn't irritate the umbilical cord area, and that's perfectly fine. When is that cord gonna fall off? It can vary, a couple weeks up to two months of age. And when the umbilical cord does fall off, it's very normal to have a little bit of dried blood or fluid leak from it for a couple of days. If it persists for longer than that, then show your pediatrician. If you notice any foul odor, any redness on the skin around the umbilical area, or your baby seems to be in pain, then call your doctor right away.