“It is largely inaccessible, so it remains dirty even after showering.” The shape of your navel makes it easy to collect dirt, which can even cause a strong smell. Dr. Richardson cautions against touching your belly button with your germy fingers, as it can lead to serious infections.
Playing with the navel is even less of an issue than self-stimulating the genitals. It is impossible to stop a baby from self stimulating the parts of the body, and it is wrong to do so. Since it is part of normal development, parents have to accept this.
So when you push your belly button, you're stimulating the same area. This can trick your brain into thinking it's receiving signals from elsewhere, mimicking the feeling of needing to pee – or a tingly feeling in your groin.
Apparently this happens because the spinal cord relays signals to the bladder and which can be mistaken for the same bladder discomfort that we feel when we need to the toilet. So, there you have it – you aren't weird, your body is!
"At the navel, you have the ability to stimulate not only the skin overlying the navel, but also the fibres of the inner lining of your abdomen," he said. "As you stick your finger into your belly button, it sends a signal from the deeper fibres that line your inner abdominal cavity to your spinal cord."
Keep your hands off your belly button
“The belly button harbors a high population of bacteria,” Dr. Richardson says. “It is largely inaccessible, so it remains dirty even after showering.” The shape of your navel makes it easy to collect dirt, which can even cause a strong smell. Dr.
It turns out your mother was right when she told you to keep your finger out of your belly button. Apparently, pushing in there actually does do something - it makes you need to pee. Dr.
"Toddlers like playing and messing with their belly buttons because it is an interesting part of their body," said Nancy Silberman Zwiebach, MS, certified school psychologist and psychotherapist.
The reason for this strange sensation is that you are actually stimulating a part of your spine. "At the navel, you have the ability to stimulate not only the skin overlying the navel, but also the fibers of the inner lining of your abdomen," Dr. Christopher Hollingsworth of NYC Surgical Associates told BuzzFeed.
Toddlers play with their belly button as a way of self-soothing. It's a very normal behavior that should fade as your child gets older.
When someone pokes inside or around a belly button, some people may feel erotic sensations. That's because the navel and genitals have a common tissue origin. For some, the stimulation feels like a tickle—down there. For others, it sort of feels like they have to pee.
In a business setting, a person's belly button should ideally point toward the most important person, or the person whose attention you want to garner or influence. Driver, p. 64. Facing your navel away from someone can have the same effect as giving them the “cold shoulder”.
If your belly button is “leaking” clear or colored discharge or blood, you may have a bacterial, fungal, or yeast infection. Crusty skin, strong odor, itching, and redness are also signs of infection. If discharge and crust stick around after you wash your belly button, you should see your doctor.
Accumulation of dirt and debris.
Your belly button is home to many types of bacteria. You may also have fungi (like the yeast called Candida) and other germs in there. Combine that with dead skin cells and the natural oils from your skin and you've got the recipe for an unpleasant odor.
Children's natural curiosity about their bodies
At a very young age, children begin to explore their bodies. They may touch, poke, pull or rub their body parts, including their genitals. It is important to keep in mind that these behaviors are not sexually motivated.
Curiosity about genitalia is a perfectly normal part of early sexual development. When little kids touch their own genitals or show an interest in looking at other people's private parts, they are most likely doing what young children are born to do: learning about themselves and the world around them.
Toddlers play with their belly button as a way of self-soothing. It's a very normal behavior that should fade as your child gets older.
Dr. Khetarpal recommends simply washing the area with water and/or gentle soap when you shower or bathe. Just be careful not to scratch your belly button with your fingernail or whatever you use to wash your body, because you could pierce the skin, leading to bleeding or increased risk of an infection.
It may overlap with omphalophobia, the fear of belly buttons and touching them.
Misconceptions about belly buttons
Others believe their belly button is somehow connected directly to their uterus or the placenta or even the baby's belly button. This isn't the case. As you can see in the picture below, the belly button normally isn't connected to anything in adults.