How do I clean my newborn’s sticky eyes?
A little discharge can have several causes. Gentle cleaning guidance and signs of redness or swelling can help you decide what to ask next.
The short answer
For mild stickiness, NHS Healthier Together advises cleaning gently with clean, cooled boiled water and a fresh piece of cotton wool for each wipe. Redness, swelling or other symptoms need advice from a doctor.
What mild stickiness can look like
Some newborns have a small amount of white or yellow material at the inner corner of an eye. A regional NHS Healthier Together page explains that developing tear ducts can be one cause. Appearance alone isn’t enough to diagnose the reason.
Before cleaning, wash your hands. The NHS page advises using clean, cooled boiled water and wiping from the corner near the nose outward. Use a fresh piece of cotton wool for each wipe and don’t use the same piece for both eyes.
Know when to get advice
Contact a health professional if the eye itself looks red, the eyelid or area around it is swollen, discharge is persistent, or your baby seems unwell. The West Yorkshire guidance says to contact a doctor or nurse that day for listed eye symptoms and to use its urgent help route for severe signs. Local services differ, so follow the advice for your area.
Seek urgent help for severe symptoms, such as a baby who is difficult to wake or struggling to breathe. Follow local urgent care instructions. This short article can’t determine whether a specific eye problem is a blocked tear duct or an infection.
Keep the advice local
The cleaning instructions here come from a regional NHS resource for families in West Yorkshire. Other locations may give different advice. Ask your midwife, health visitor, doctor or nurse what to do for your baby, especially if symptoms change or don’t improve.
BabyDays can record a care note for another caregiver, but it can’t examine an eye or recommend treatment. Avoid putting drops, breast milk or other products in the eye unless a midwife, health visitor or doctor advises you to do so.
Sources and further reading
Sources checked 12 October 2026. This page doesn’t replace advice from your own doctor.