When the baby comes home, most likely the belly button will still be on, and it can look a little scary to some parents. The best thing to do is really leave it alone. And that means keep it free from any shirts that may rub and irritate it and even diapers. A lot of newborn diapers have a cutout and they dip in the middle and don't touch the baby's belly button.
If you don't have those diapers that's not a problem; what you can do is simply fold down the baby's diaper, attach it on the side, but make sure right underneath the belly button there's nothing there that's bothering it or irritating it in any way. Because it will become loose over time and you want it to fall out on it's own, you don't want it to be forced out.
Sometimes the belly button can look a little red, and there are times that parents or doctors will recommend taking some alcohol, dipping a Q-tip in it and simply circling around the belly button a few times to dry it out or to clean it out if it's looking infected.
Some doctors may also recommend putting some Neosporin on a Q-tip and again doing a simple ring around the belly button. But most times the belly button will fall out on its own with no problem, and all you really need to do is just keep the area clean.
You can get special shirts that don't go over it, that end right about here on the baby, and the special diapers that have that dip or are folded down so they don't push or jar the belly button to make it become loose more than it needs to be. In time it will fall out on its own and everything will be OK, and you will see if your baby has a innie or an outie belly button.
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