# Belly button comfort



## MaxxsMom (Jun 20, 2006)

My 18 mo son has an "outie" and he is almost always touching it. I'm not worried about it, but I have never met a child with this behavior. We call it his "niblet". He has to be able to feel it when he falls asleep and his obsession with it has led me to dress him in separates as much as possible so he has access.

Just curious? Has anyone else experienced this behavior?


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## claras_mom (Apr 25, 2006)

Dd isn't obsessed with hers (though it's an innie; might be different if it were an outie!), but I do remember that at 18 months she was really "in" to belly buttons in general. And I did dress her in separates so that she could look at it whenever she wanted (that and I find onesies annoying for the quick diaper check). I'm wondering if your son's twiddling is kind of the same impulse as when dd twiddle's the opposite side when she's nursing. You know, because she's really insistent about having the access.


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## eldadeedlit (Jun 22, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *MaxxsMom* 
My 18 mo son has an "outie" and he is almost always touching it. I'm not worried about it, but I have never met a child with this behavior. We call it his "niblet". He has to be able to feel it when he falls asleep and his obsession with it has led me to dress him in separates as much as possible so he has access.

Just curious? Has anyone else experienced this behavior?

yes! my DS did the same thing and he has an innie. He grew out of it for the most part, but that was definitely his comfort thing instead of sucking his thumb or whatever.


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## Mara's Mama (Jun 11, 2006)

Heh...when I read the thread title I thought this one was about us! But in our case, dd is obsessed with MY belly button. When she nurses, she has to have one finger crammed in there as hard as possible (sometimes harder







: ) Too funny how obsessed they can be about the button.


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## teachma (Dec 20, 2002)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Mara's Mama* 
Heh...when I read the thread title I thought this one was about us! But in our case, dd is obsessed with MY belly button. When she nurses, she has to have one finger crammed in there as hard as possible (sometimes harder







: ) Too funny how obsessed they can be about the button.

SAME! I say, better he's playing with his own than yours. My daughter is nearly three, and for the last 18 months, each time she has nursed, she has played with my belly button to the point of major discomfort. I just wish she'd chosen her own instead!!


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## Evie P. (Apr 5, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *teachma* 
SAME! I say, better he's playing with his own than yours. My daughter is nearly three, and for the last 18 months, each time she has nursed, she has played with my belly button to the point of major discomfort. I just wish she'd chosen her own instead!!

You know what I love about this post is the between-the-lines part -- you nice mamas don't even consider limiting access to your bellybuttons! In my non-AP world, my friends think I am a freak for co-sleeping, obsessive for nursing at 20 months, and that I am damaging him by playing with him when he wants me to. (They imply this, of course, and don't exactly say it out right -- most of the time.) One of my friends even told me today that she is going back to work because she can't take having two kids, it's just driving her too crazy. (Her second is 8 months old.) So it's such a relief to read that other mamas consider it obvious that they would not only nurse and not only nurse after one year, but that they would let their kids jam fingers in their belly buttons while doing so!


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## MamaKalena (Jun 17, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *MaxxsMom* 
My 18 mo son has an "outie" and he is almost always touching it. I'm not worried about it, but I have never met a child with this behavior. We call it his "niblet". He has to be able to feel it when he falls asleep and his obsession with it has led me to dress him in separates as much as possible so he has access.

Just curious? Has anyone else experienced this behavior?

YES!!! We had to stop wearing one-piece pjs when he was about 18-months-old. He's now 26 months and still does it while nursing to sleep. In fact, not only does he need his belly button, but MINE as well. He'll say (his voice muffled because my nipple is clamped between his teeth), "Two buttons! I want mama's button!"

It used to drive me nuts when I was trying to fall asleep as well. I remember being frustrated and posting about it a while back. But I've since learned to live with it because it's such a comfort to him. And all I have to do is wrap a blanket around my midsection when I don't want him poking at me.

Needless to say, I have become quite religious about clipping his fingernails.


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## chochkies (Jul 5, 2005)

My oldest son had to sleep with his finger in his belly button until he was almost 4- which meant I had to cut holes in all of his one-piece PJ's. It was the cutest thing!


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## melissel (Jun 30, 2004)

This thread is cracking me up







It reminds of when my DD had a similar obsession with a mole on my belly (she still likes to go to sleep while touching it occasionally). Ah, the good old days [sniff!].


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## Cardinal (Feb 6, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Mara's Mama* 
Heh...when I read the thread title I thought this one was about us! But in our case, dd is obsessed with MY belly button. When she nurses, she has to have one finger crammed in there as hard as possible (sometimes harder







: ) Too funny how obsessed they can be about the button.

us too.
it can hurt sometimes. ds REALLY gets his finger in there. Sometimes he just comes up to me, finds my belly button, and pushes. It seems to be a source of comfort.


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## Kat's Mommy (Jan 2, 2006)

This thread's for me too! DD is obsessed with picking at her belly button, and I hadn't really connected it to comfort. She's also obsessed with picking my belly button...to the point where she digs her fingers in, and boy, does it hurt!


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## NamastePlatypus (Jan 22, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *MaxxsMom* 
My 18 mo son has an "outie" and he is almost always touching it. I'm not worried about it, but I have never met a child with this behavior. We call it his "niblet". He has to be able to feel it when he falls asleep and his obsession with it has led me to dress him in separates as much as possible so he has access.

Just curious? Has anyone else experienced this behavior?











Lil man just likes to show EVERYONE that not only does he have a belly button but so does mama







At least my tummy is pretty again and I don't mind the consant showings.

Dh uses niblet for lil mans other 'outie'


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## operamommy (Nov 9, 2004)

That is soooo adorable!!









My ds2 has a big old outie, but he doesn't seem to notice it all that much. However, one day he was in his high chair eating bits of apple without a shirt on. I was turned away talking to dh and was picking bits of apple off ds2's chest/belly, when I grabbed hold of a really strange apple bit...I was trying to pick off my own kid's belly button!


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## Parker'smommy (Sep 12, 2002)

I thought my ds was the only one!!! My ds is almost 5 ( on wed!!!) and he has "played" with his belly button since about a year old. When he was 14 months old we had to stop him wearing one piece outfits and pjs because he would get so upset if he didn't have "access" to his button!!! He usually will start in on it when he's tired or nervous,and sometimes if he's just bored, so I totally believe it's soothing for him like thumbsucking. His button is also an outie!

My crazy mom ( said with love) has a "thing" about belly buttons and is totally jeebed out when he does this though and is just so wierd about it that she tried to get me to talk to the ped. about it!! She said she was worried he would damage his button....sigh. whatever mom. Now, my 2 year old dd will do it occasionally too and I pointed it out to my mom to bug her...she accused me of "training her to do it"!! lol.....

Yah for playing with our buttons!!! It's like a built in toy!


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