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Parentpedia
Belly Buttons
What Experts Say
There's something very special about your baby's belly button, the part of her body that connected her to you. The umbilical cord that came out from her belly button brought nutrients and oxygen to your baby from the placenta and filtered waste out of her system.
Once the cord to the belly button is cut (which the father or a medical provider will do in the minutes after the baby's born), it will be tied or clamped off. A few days to a few weeks later, the umbilical cord stump will dry up, turn black, and fall off. Underneath will be the healed belly button, which may be an "outie" or an "innie."
The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends cleaning the umbilical cord with alcohol at every diaper change, but a 2002 study conducted at the New York Medical College's Regional Medical Center found that infants whose cords were treated once a day had umbilical stumps that healed faster than infants who were treated three times a day, with no increase in infection.
How to Take Care of a Baby's Belly Button
- There are different ways to care for the umbilical stump. Your doctor will probably recommend the traditional Western way and advise you to clean the area around it lightly with rubbing alcohol. A midwife might recommend goldenseal instead, which is a natural antibiotic that can be bought in powder form at a health food store and applied to the umbilical stump. It's a well-kept secret among parents of several children that the stump doesn't actually need to be treated, just kept dry, and that nature will quickly heal it.
- For the first few weeks, until the stump dries up and falls off, keep the baby's diaper off her belly button by folding it down at the top so it doesn't irritate her skin. For boy babies, make sure the penis is pointing downwards in the diaper so urine does not get on the umbilical stump.
- Because the cord needs to be kept dry in order to heal, don't give your baby a full bath or submerge her in water until the stump has fallen off.
Safety Note
If your newborn's belly button has a red ring around it and starts to emit an unpleasant odor, like rotten fish or stinky cheese, it may be infected. Consult your doctor.
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The contents of ParentPedia are intended for educational purposes only. Such contents are not intended to, and do not, constitute medical or healthcare advice or diagnosis, and may not be used for such purposes. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Reliance on information presented on ParentPedia is at your own risk.
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