Playing with belly button?

[bubbaray]

OK, so I've come to the conclusion that there isn't really a "normal" for toddlers.... However, DD pulls at her belly button (as in pulls it about 1" away from her body). ALLLLLLL the time. It drives DH and I nuts. I don't think there's a problem with it (no obvious rash or anything). I think its more just a habit.

Any tips on getting her to stop? We are full-on potty training, so onesies aren't an option.

TIA!



Melissa

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[C99]

Be thankful you don't have a boy. My son has been doing the same thing with his penis since he discovered it.

[bubbaray]

Yeah, I thought about that. But, presumably, playing with a penis feels good, KWIM? I can't imagine that a belly button would hold the same, er, sensation.

Still would like some ideas on how to stop the behavior though.


Melissa

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[C99]

He used to YANK on his penis, not just play with it. I can't imagine that it would feel good, but it didn't bother him. I've talked to other parents of boys who said the same thing. I would just ignore your DD's behavior and hope she outgrows it. There should be no shame in her pulling on her bellybutton; it just annoys you. ETA: My DD pinches the skin on her belly and the area just above her pubic area; I can't imagine that feels good either, but hey, it doesn't hurt me if she does it.

[Fairy]

Mine just discovered his daddy's penis today. That was interesting.

[o_mom]

My friend picked her daughter off at a gym daycare once and mentioned that her daughter liked to play with her BB. The lady said something to the effect that it is like masturbation to them. Needless to say my friend was floored that the lady would actually say this to her.

[CiderLogan]

My DD did this exact same thing. It drove me and DH crazy too. For a while, we told her to stop - we were afraid it would hurt it eventually. But that didn't really help. She outgrew it in a couple of months once we started ignoring it. It will stop at some point! :)

Jenny
Julia, 8/03
Clara, 5/06

[wendmatt]

DD played with her belly button for quite a while about your dds age. It was a comfort thing for her I think. I couldn't put night clothes that covered it, had to be a 2 piece so she could twiddle it in bed! She outgrew it and doesn't do it any more. I'm sure if you ignore your dd she'll outgrow it.

[bubbaray]

OK, I guess we were just obsessing about it and should just ignore it. DH is convinced her "innie" will become an "outie" because she keeps pulling at it. I'm not worried about that, but it just seems so, well, odd to see a child pull a part of their body so far out, KWIM?

Thanks again!


Melissa

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[jasabo]

Funny that you posted this b/c a friend of mine recently told me that she used to pull on her belly button as a kid. She did it so often and for so long - even around preschool age and close to kindergarden age, I think - that her mom was worried about it too. She doesn't do it anymore though ;) so she obviously outgrew it.

I wouldn't worry about it. I actually think that if you deprived her of that (put her in overalls or one piece outfits so she couldn't reach her BB) she might substitute another comforting behavior, which could always be something you're even less happy about.

[maestramommy]

I've actually heard this too. Maybe not in the sense of orgasmic, but soothing/relaxing.

[CBB]

I'm so glad you posted this! It makes me feel better that DD is not the only one who does this. LOL that this is like maturbation. DD has been doing this for quite a while now. I think that it soothes her like pacifiers for others since she refused pacifiers from the beginning and doesn't suck on her thumb(knock on the wood). I noticed that she touches it more when she's tired/sleepy or upset. We tried stopping her but it has not worked. Sometimes we tell her that her BB is turning red from her touching it so much. She would stop, examine it and would stop touching it for a while. She does it when she sleeps at night also. When she's in a zipper sleeper, we'll find in the morning that she has unzipped the sleeper down to the level of BB so she could touch it. I hope that this will stop soon also.

[lizajane]

schuyler puts his finger in his belly button. he sucks his left thumb and puts his right forefinger in his belly button. i wish he wouldn't suck his thumb because it is beginning to damage his teeth, he eats a lot of germs and he has developed a blister on his thumb. i can't see ANY reason why he shouldn't pull on his belly button.

honestly, i don't see what the fuss i about. what is the issue? how is it different from petting a lovey or pulling on an ear or snuggling a stuff animal?

doesn't bother me at all.

and FWIW, he does have an outie. and i am pretty sure he used to have an innie. and frankly, i think it is cute. :) and i honestly can't imagine that it is possible to "pull out" your own belly button. but maybe. whatever. i just don't care! :)

[bubbaray]

If DD was just putting her finger in her belly button, I'd be less concerned. She pulls it waaaaay out away from her body. She did it again today and pulled it far more than 1", closer to 2". She's on the slim side (at least around her torso), so she d/n have a lot of skin to pull, IYKWIM.

We are concerned about her injuring it somehow. DH is the one who is concerned about it becoming an "outie", though I don't share his concern and am not convinced that that is even possible. It just looks like some sort of self-mutilation -- OK, I exaggerate, but honestly, it looks like it would hurt, NOT feel good and that was our concern (ie., why would she be hurting herself?).

We are also not comfortable with her doing it in public. She wears dresses a lot and has started lifting up her dress to do it. Not a huge issue at the moment as she's still in diapers or pullups, but honestly, I don't want her doing this in public when she's in underwear.

However, I can see from the other posts above that perhaps it DOES feel good to her.

I guess everyone has a different threshold of "fuss". The behavior is something we don't like and would much prefer she stopped. I think we will try ignoring the behavior and hoping it goes away.


Melissa

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[niccig]

A friend's daugther did that all the time. She would suck her thumb and play with her BB. After her 3rd birthday they talked with her about only doing it in private and explained this was when only mum, dad and her little sister were there. They had to keep reminding her for a few days, but she soon stopped doing it in public. Maybe your daughter is old enough to understand that. If not, maybe wait a while and see if it stops, and if it doesn't maybe you could get her to only do it at certain times, in bed etc.

Nicci

[Puddy73]

When she was about your DD's age, DD went through a phase where she would constantly pick at her cuticles, to the point that they were a bloody mess. She seemed to do it without thinking about it, like a nervous tic. Her ped said that this is common toddler/preschooler behavior and suggested that we just redirect her instead of making a big deal out of it. I watched her carefully and whenever she started to pick at them, I'd suggest another activity for her hands, like Signing Times. It helped a lot and she has pretty much stopped.

Jennifer
Mommy to Annabelle 9/08/03 & Finn 10/31/05

"If we couldn't laugh, we would all go insane." - Jimmy Buffett

[Jenny_A]

Thanks for posting! My DD grabs at her BB when she is in the bath and at diaper changes! It drives DH and I CRAZY! We thought maybe it itches or it's just more interesting to her since it's covered under a diaper all the time??? She's pretty aggressive and will scratch until it's red. We're also afraid she'll hurt herself. At least this sounds fairly common based on everyone's posts.

Jenny

[californiagirl]

I always put shorts or pants under DD's dresses, in case she decides to be upside down, discuss nipples or belly-buttons, chew on her skirt hem... she has dozens of ways of showing off her diaper.

[missym]

Speaking from our experience with Gwen, she did cause a sore once. I guess it hurt enough that she left it alone until it healed. Then she went right back to playing with it! I try to be careful to keep her fingernails trimmed so that she won't scratch herself, but eventually her belly button got kind of calloused.

She's 3 now, and these days she mostly only messes with her belly button when she's falling asleep at night.

Missy, mom to Gwen 03/03 and Rebecca 09/05

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