Baby care

Baths, cord care and the first weeks of baby hygiene

4 min read · MyBloomingBelly editorial

Newborns do not get dirty — they get milky. Until the umbilical cord stump falls off (usually between 5 days and 3 weeks), stick to sponge baths: a bowl of warm water, a soft cloth, and quick attention to the creases — neck folds, armpits, thigh rolls, and the diaper area. Two to three baths a week is genuinely enough; more just dries newborn skin.

The cord stump has one rule: keep it clean and dry. Fold the diaper down below it so urine can’t soak it, let air reach it, and resist every urge to clean it with antiseptics, sprinkle powders, apply oil or ghee, or place a coin over the navel — the stump does its best work left alone, and coins and bindings raise infection risk rather than shaping anything. It will darken, shrivel and drop off on its own; a tiny smear of blood at separation is normal.