Do Infants Still Need to Care for Their Navel After the First Month?

Question

Newborn navels typically fall off within 7 days, but the current baby’s navel falls off late due to possibly excessive nutrition. However, if the umbilical cord falls off, there may be bleeding and pus. If not treated promptly, it could be a granuloma, an umbilical abscess, or an umbilical hernia. Should the baby still have the navel bandaged after the first month?

Answer

Newborn navels usually fall off within 7 days, but due to possibly excessive nutrition in modern infants, the navel may fall off later. If the umbilical cord falls off, there may be bleeding and pus. If not treated promptly, it could lead to a granuloma, an umbilical abscess, or an umbilical hernia, requiring minimally invasive surgery and a large amount of antibiotics to prevent infection. Spicy and other irritating foods should be avoided.