Japanese company designs wearable breastfeeding device for fathers to nurse babies

A Japanese company has come up with a novel concept aimed at helping new parents more equitably divide responsibilities when it comes to feeding their baby and coaxing them to sleep.

The company says it has designed an attachable breastfeeding device that will allow fathers to nurse their children.

The company calls it an "infant breastfeeding and sleep inducement device for fathers." The "Father's Nursing Assistant" was showcased this year at SXSW in Austin, Texas.

According to The Dentsu Group, the purpose of the device is to encourage fathers to have a more active role in child-rearing. The company says on its website that it hopes that the wearable technology will "decrease the amount of burden on mothers and increase the amount of time infants sleep by enabling fathers to breastfeed."

The company asserts that much of parental stress is directly related to the difficulties of breastfeeding and the sleep habits of young babies.

The wearable nursing unit is modeled after a woman's breast and its shape is optimized for the child's comfort, the company says. It is heated to simulate the warmth of the mother's body, making nursing simple for the father, while allowing him to be more actively and intimately involved in the process.

The device is fitted with a tank to hold milk and actually vibrates when the baby is feeding in order to induce sleep and track the baby's feeding habits. The company has developed an accompanying app that pairs with the nursing unit that monitors and tracks the baby's milk consumption as well as the child's sleep patterns.

The "Father's Nursing Assistant" might not be available for purchase at your local retail outlet in the near future, however. The concept was presented as part of The Dentsu Group's "Pointless Brings Progress" project, which the company says aims to bring two starkly different ideas together to illustrate "the belief that it is possible to change the future."