When Should the Umbilical Cord Fall off - Infant Care (up to 18 months old) Message Board

tiffany21 · 11-27-2008, 04:26 PM

When Should the Umbilical Cord Fall off

Marshacutie101 · 11-27-2008, 07:14 PM

It can vary. My three children's cords fell off from between 1-2 wks.

Marsha

sem627 · 11-28-2008, 03:18 PM

My first daughter had hers forever, it seemed. It was like 7 weeks. With my second, our ped told me NOT to clean it with alcohol EVERY time. When you do it every time, you end up cleaning off the good bacteria that helps it fall off. She told me to do it just two or three times a day, not with every diaper change. With my second and third child, the cord fell off in about 2 weeks.

megss · 11-28-2008, 07:47 PM

My DD's fell of at 2 weeks exactly. I cleaned it once or twice a day with alcohol (Thats what I was told to do in the hospital).

WhiskersOnKittens · 11-28-2008, 09:54 PM

I cleaned ds's twice a day with a q-tip and alcohol (in the morning and at night), and it fell off when he was only 4 days old. I heard varying advice in the hospital from a couple different nurses, but I remember my mom cleaning my little brother's with alcohol, so I just decided to do it that way.
And don't be afraid to "get in there" either, I think that helped it fall off earlier by really giving it a good clean!

Whiskers