Strange belly button habit

[Clarity16]

Hi,

I was wondering if anyone had any advice. For the last year and a half of so, my 3 year old has developed a strange habit of playing with her belly button. She holds it and twiddles it with her fingers, sometimes pulling it at it and making it quite red. While she does this, she also usually sucks on her tongue/sucks her lip in and sometimes almost seems like she's in a bit of a trance.
Has anybody else experienced a habit like this? Is it some kind of 'stimming'? I assumed she'd grow out of it, but it seems like it's becoming more and more of an obsession rather than less. She can't be stopped/redirected easily.
Developmentally she seems ok otherwise, her language is fine, although she likes pretending to be a baby a lot. She is quite grumpy with other children and her brother a lot of the time and doesn't really join in group activities with other children when we go to toddler groups.

I don't think it's anything to worry about; it's simply a comfort to her. I've known a couple of children play with their tummy button, often while sucking thumb or going to sleep. I also knew one little one who did similar with his ear.

Thank you. If it was just when she was going to bed or when she was tired or anxious I wouldn't be so worried, but it's almost all the time.

I would say it's a habit. She probably doesn't even realise she's doing it.

Either distract, by giving her something in both hands, or she's old enough to do a star chart. Use the excuse it's getting sore, and She gets one star for stopping immediately you ask her to, and another for staying stopped. Perhaps start by saying she 's too big to do it out of the house of something like that.
Let her continue without saying anything if she's tired or in a new situation.

My 2.5 yr old grandson does the same.. it's his comfort object !
We had to give up babygrows and pop under vests very early because even as a baby he was upset if he couldn't touch his belly button !

He's absolutely neurotypical, talks well, happy, but it's always the first sign he needs a nap, or is just chilling!