Infant and toddler health (24)
- Vaccines: Keep your child's shots on track
- Language development: Speech milestones for babies
- Childhood vaccines: Tough questions, straight answers
- see all in Infant and toddler health
Newborn health (27)
- Baby bath basics: A parent's guide
- Newborn care: 10 tips for stressed-out parents
- Crying baby: What to do when your newborn cries
- see all in Newborn health
Infant health (24)
- Weaning: Tips for breast-feeding mothers
- Infant formula: Your questions answered
- Infant formula: 7 steps to prepare it safely
- see all in Infant health
Toddler health (16)
- Temper tantrums in toddlers: How to keep the peace
- Potty training: How to get the job done
- Kids' swimming: Keep health risks at bay
- see all in Toddler health
Free
E-newsletter
Subscribe to Housecall
Our weekly general interest
e-newsletter keeps you up to date
on a wide variety of health topics.
close window
Mayo Clinic Housecall
Stay up to date on the latest health information.
What you get
- Free weekly e-newsletter
- Mayo Clinic expertise
- Recipes, tools and other helpful information
- We do not share your e-mail address
Umbilical cord care: Do's and don'ts for parents
A newborn's umbilical cord stump typically falls off within about two weeks after birth. In the meantime, treat your baby's umbilical cord stump gently.
By Mayo Clinic staffWonder how to care for your newborn's umbilical cord stump? Until the stump dries out and falls off, keep it clean and dry.
Why your baby has an umbilical cord stump
During pregnancy, the umbilical cord supplies nutrients and oxygen to your developing baby. After birth, the umbilical cord is no longer needed — so it's clamped and snipped. This leaves behind a short stump. The umbilical cord doesn't contain pain-sensitive nerve fibers, so your baby won't feel any discomfort during this rite of passage.
Next page(1 of 2)
References
- Sullivan CK, et al. Healthy newborn discharge. In: McInerny TK, et al. American Academy of Pediatrics Textbook of Pediatric Care. Elk Grove Village, Ill.: American Academy of Pediatrics; 2009:840.
- Palazzi DL, et al. Care of the umbilicus and management of umbilical disorders. http://www.uptodate.com/index. Accessed Nov. 9, 2011.
- The newborn infant. In: Cunningham FG, et al. Williams Obstetrics. 23rd ed. New York, N.Y.: The McGraw-Hill Companies; 2010. http://www.accessmedicine.com/resourceTOC.aspx?resourceID=46. Accessed Nov. 9, 2011.
Find Mayo Clinic on