Japanese Invention Allows Men To “Breastfeed” Their Babies

• Called the Father’s Nursing Assistant, it was described as “an infant breastfeeding and sleep inducement device.”
• It resembles breasts and holds milk, which is either breastmilk pumped from mom or formula. It can be worn on the chest, so dads can cradle the baby just like moms do.
• It’s also equipped with data tracking to monitor the nursing sessions, which can be transmitted to the father’s smartphone.

Mothers usually bear the brunt of the work when it comes to taking care of babies. On top of staying up late to tend to the baby, mothers have to breastfeed to make sure the little one gets the best nutrition there is. But with this latest invention, dads can now chip in with the breastfeeding bit…in a way.

At the latest SXSW festival in Austin, Texas, a device that allows men to “breastfeed” their children was unveiled. Called the Father’s Nursing Assistant, it was created by Japanese manufacturer Dentsu.

The company describes the product as “an infant breastfeeding and sleep inducement device.”

It resembles breasts and holds milk, which is either breast milk pumped from mom or formula. It can be worn on the chest, so dads can cradle the baby just like moms do when breastfeeding.

It also allows skin-to-skin contact with dad, which is also something that moms do with their babies.

One “breast” holds all the milk, while the other has the nipple system. But it does more than just feed the infant – it’s also equipped with data tracking to monitor the nursing sessions, which can be transmitted to the father’s smartphone.

According to Dentsu’s press release: “Who says that babies tend to touch the breast with their hands when feeding and that the softness seems to soothe them, the product has been shaped to resemble a woman’s breasts.”

“Breastfeeding is also effective at helping the parent sleep — a benefit that is currently skewed toward women.”

“Focusing on breastfeeding, we aim to decrease the amount of burden on mothers and increase the amount of time infant’s sleep by enabling fathers to breastfeed.”

The device is not for sale yet, but the company is hopeful that it will be able to reduce the stress that parents have when taking care of their babies.