You may either realize that your baby will have an umbilical cord stump attached to them after birth either beforehand, or you may find out once you see it on your baby.  Once your baby was born, they cut the umbilical cord, but you will find that there will be just a small portion of it left.  This is completely normal, and it will fall off eventually.  In the meantime, continue reading so you know how to care for your baby while it’s still attached.

Clean - First of all, you want to make sure this part of them is always clean.  You don’t want any infections, but to instead make sure it doesn’t get dirty, and that it’s always clean.

Dry – You will also want to make sure that it’s always dry.  If it’s dry, it will be able to fall off a lot easier than if it were wet.  So, when you’re giving your baby a bath, make sure you keep this area as dry as possible.

Diapers – When you put your babies diaper on, make sure you’re not covering it with the diaper.  The umbilical cord stump should always be exposed, and never wrapped by a diaper.  You want as much air flow to the area as you can get.

The umbilical cord stump will usually take around 10-20 days to fall off.  Therefore, it is important that you take care of it in the mean time to prevent infections, and allow it to dry so it falls off as soon as possible.  Once it does fall off, you will see that your babies belly button will be a little raw, but that is completely normal.  That will usually take just a few days to heal up.  So, until it falls off, be sure to consider a few of these tips!  These will keep your baby healthy, and on the right track!