What Causes a ‘Belly Button’?

A belly button is what’s left after your baby skin grows up and stretches out.

When you’re a tiny baby, your skin is all wrapped around your belly like a tight blanket, this is called the umbilical cord. It connects you to your mom and gives you food and oxygen. Once you’re born, the umbilical cord is cut and it heals into a little bump on your tummy.

As you grow bigger, your skin stretches out from that bump. Some people’s skin pulls in around the old bump, leaving a belly button, like a little cave or a little hill, depending on how your skin stretched.

• If your skin pulled in, you get an "innie", it looks like a little hole.
• If your skin pushed out, you get an "outie", it looks like a little bump.

It’s all about how your baby skin decided to grow! A belly button is what’s left after your baby skin grows up and stretches out.

When you’re a tiny baby, your skin is all wrapped around your belly like a tight blanket, this is called the umbilical cord. It connects you to your mom and gives you food and oxygen. Once you’re born, the umbilical cord is cut and it heals into a little bump on your tummy.

As you grow bigger, your skin stretches out from that bump. Some people’s skin pulls in around the old bump, leaving a belly button, like a little cave or a little hill, depending on how your skin stretched.