I've been keeping the area clean and dry, cleaning it with alcohol every now and then... I don't do it every diaper change because I fear the alcohol is tough on the baby's skin. My baby is premature so he is quite small, so his diapers cover his umbilical cord. Since he is my first child, I've been going along on what others keep telling me but no one told me to keep his umbilical cord outside his diaper, I found this out today doing research online. So what should I do? Is it my fault that it hasn't fallen off yet? What can I do speed up the process without causing any discomfort to my child? For the past 2 days he's been crying more, and I think it's due to this.