Cleft lip and palate repair--best at birth or later?

Depends: Early closure of the outer defect is often to fascilitate feeding while the inner palate work is put off until the child is older.The best timing & work is done with input of the expert hands of the teal/surgeons who do the work.

First year of life: Both are best repaired during the first year of life - the lip/nose at around 3 months of age, and the palate at between 9 months and a year.

Lip by 3 months.: Lip repair is usually done by 3 months old, and palate repair by 10 months before speech begins. The age of lip repair is not critical, and most surgeons do not feel that the risks of early (ie 0-4 weeks old) outweigh the theoretical benefits. So, repair at birth is frowned on by most cleft centers and surgeons.