10 tips for treating (correctly) the baby cord

Une fois le cordon ombilical coupé à la maternité, il en reste un tout petit bout accroché au ventre de bébé. Pendant 1 à 8 semaines, il va s’assécher, durcir, noircir puis tomber. Durant cette période, il vous faudra prendre soin du cordon. Le Docteur Alain Bocquet, pédiatre et responsable du groupe nutrition de l’Association Française de Pédiatrie Ambulatoire (www.afpa.org) nous délivre ses conseils pour y parvenir comme un.e pro.

Equip well for cord care

Treating the cord is a meticulous task, to be done with specific equipment.Before you get started, be sure to have under the elbow:- sterile compresses,- an antiseptic based on chlorexhydrine- a drying product (Eosin type).

Maximize product efficiency

Do not hesitate to take stock with your pediatrician or the midwife that follows you if you have a doubt about the care and accessories present in your necessary.Some products lose their effectiveness when they are open for too long.If possible, favor single -use pods or note the opening date on the bottle when it is a large format product.And open the eye: a small pastille resembling an open cap, accompanied by a figure, is present.These are the number of months of maximum recommended use after opening.Also beware where you store the products: never near a window or near a heat source, type heating.This may disrupt the stability of the formulas.

Make baby at ease for cord care

Baby body temperature drops very quickly.It is therefore important to heat the room in which you carry out your child's cord care, just like the one where you change it and wash it.The right temperature?24 °.In parallel, do not hesitate to broadcast soft music and speak to him to reassure him.Remember: Baby is sensitive to the smiles and stamps of your voice.

Gently proceed

After the baby bath, impregnate a sterile compress of antiseptic solution and disinfect the base of the cord by pulling it slightly to lift it.You can also drive chlorhexidine directly on the umbilicus or use a cotton swab.Then dry with a new gauze.Everything must be perfectly clean and dry.Finally, pour a few drops of eosin and let dry in the open air.

Understand crying

Although cord care is completely painless for infants (there are no nerve endings at this place), it is very likely that it will cry to mean your dissatisfaction.Rest assured, it is simply a reaction to the freshness of the products used.If the tears seem too intense, do not hesitate to take the time to reassure it with sweet words and some small caresses.

Avoid urine jets on baby's cord

You must at all costs prevent a small pee from watering the umbilicus.So be careful, if you have a little boy by positioning his rod down during cord care.

Adjust the layer

Once the toilet and the treatments are made, fold the edge of the layer so that it does not touch the umbilicus (or use a layer specially designed for this purpose).And remember well: in the open air, the cord dries faster than if you cover it with a sterile compress.

Carry out cord care at the right frequency

Cord care must be carried out twice a day and each time the layer is soiled to the umbilicus.

Understand any risk of cord infection

If you notice ooys, redness, bleeding or a strange smell during cord care, quickly warn your pediatrician.Your Bout’chou may have a ompehalite.

Continue care after falling the cord

Make sure to clean and disinfect the navel for 7 days after falling the cord and check that no anomaly is present.It may happen that the umbilicus does not fall after several tens of days.Continue to pamper it and do not forget to inform your pediatrician.