What's wrong with babies picking their belly buttons? You must not pick your belly buttons with your hands.

Have mothers noticed that their babies occasionally pick their belly buttons? It’s okay if they do it occasionally, as they may just be curious. However, if they do it frequently, mothers should pay attention, as it may be a sign of illness. Why do babies pick their belly buttons?

Why does the baby pick his belly button?

1. There is dirt in the stomach

Some mothers fail to clean their baby's belly button in time, causing a lot of dirt to accumulate inside. Over time, the babies feel itchy, and they will scratch it with their hands to relieve the itch.

2. Inflammation in the belly button

Many babies scratch their belly buttons because they have red and swollen blisters that make them itchy.

3. Just curious

When babies grow up to a certain age, they will have a strong curiosity, especially about their own bodies. Some babies especially like to pick their belly buttons.

The baby's belly button must not be picked with hands

I always hear the older generation say: Don't pick your belly button, otherwise you will have a stomachache. This is not without reason. From the perspective of traditional Chinese medicine, the belly button is a very important acupuncture point in the human body and plays a very important role in human health. Therefore, you must be more careful when caring for your baby's belly button.

Why can't we pick the belly button with our hands? The belly button is the closest place to our internal organs. If we pick the belly button with our hands, it will cause gastrointestinal disorders. The stomach and intestines of babies are even more fragile. If we pick the belly button with our hands, it will increase the baby's gastrointestinal motility, causing diarrhea, abdominal pain and other problems.

Why can't you pick your belly button?

The belly button is the closest place to the outside world. You must not use force to pick it. You can try to wipe it gently with a damp cotton swab. The action must be gentle, and only wipe the edges that are easy to wipe. The belly button is essentially a scar left after the umbilical cord is cut. It can usually be a small depression or a small protrusion. The abdominal muscles below the belly button form a depression, and dirt is easily hidden in the belly button. If it is not cleaned in time, it may produce odor.

How to care for your newborn's belly button

1. Keep the newborn's navel dry and clean The newborn's navel must be kept dry. Before it completely falls off, it is best not to let the baby's navel touch water. Therefore, be especially careful when bathing the baby to avoid getting the navel wet and getting infected.

In addition, parents must keep their child's navel clean. If they find pus, discharge, or bleeding in their child's navel, they must go to the hospital for treatment in time.

Warm reminder: Keeping the umbilical cord clean and dry does not mean not bathing the baby, but when bathing the baby, try to avoid splashing bath water into the navel.

2. Insist on disinfecting the newborn's navel. Parents should insist on disinfecting the baby's navel after bathing the baby every day, especially in the first week after delivery. There are blood clots around the navel. It is best to disinfect it two or three times a day and bandage it well to avoid damage to the navel caused by friction from clothing.

How to disinfect the navel of a newborn: After bathing, wipe the navel with 75% alcohol or iodine cotton balls. Then, use a small cotton swab dipped in disinfectant to disinfect from the inside out in a spiral shape, wiping away some secretions, blood scabs and other dirt. Do this for 10 days, and stop disinfecting if there is no infection.

3. Seek medical attention in time if there are any abnormalities. If the umbilical cord is not properly cared for, bacteria can grow and multiply locally, causing neonatal omphalitis; it can even enter the blood through the umbilical cord and cause neonatal sepsis, so the umbilical cord care of newborns must not be neglected. For example, when changing the baby's diaper, be careful not to cover the umbilical cord with the diaper to prevent urine and feces from contaminating the umbilical cord.

In addition, if you find that the newborn's umbilical secretions increase, the surrounding abdominal skin is red and swollen, and there is an odor, you should go to the hospital for treatment in time.