Bea del Rio in Culture

That breastfeeding device in ‘Meet the Fockers’ is now a real thing

There are some things only women can do. Thanks to technology, we can remove breastfeeding from that list. Well, sort of.

Japanese tech innovator Dentsu has released a device called “Father’s Nursing Assistant.” If you’re thinking about Robert DeNiro’s DIY invention in Meet the Fockers, yep, that sounds about right. Like the fictional device, this one is also shaped like a woman’s breasts, featuring a tank of milk on one side and a feeding system on the other.

Dentsu explains that it was “based on advice from pediatricians and babysitters, who say that babies tend to touch the breast with their hands when feeding and that the softness seems to sooth them.” They further insist that with this product, “a father can hold his baby in both of his arms, creating a deeper kinship between them and enabling the baby to sleep peacefully in his father’s arms.”

In addition to the ergonomic design, the machine also has heated silicone “breasts” to mimic the feel of skin, and has a vibrating feature to help the baby sleep. Plus, with the help of an app, it’s able to sense the infant’s breastfeeding and sleep timing for a better visual understanding of the infant’s condition.

The company highlights, “Much of the parental stress and difficulties surrounding childrearing are related to feeding and sleeping, and generally the rate of participation by fathers tends to be low. Breastfeeding is also effective at helping the parent sleep.” Adding, “Focusing on breastfeeding, we aim to decrease the amount of burden on mothers and increase the amount of time infants sleep by enabling fathers to breastfeed.”

Ultimately, we still believe that nothing could replace the real thing. But we do think this is a great help to any parent—like adoptive moms who are physically unable to breastfeed themselves. What do you think?

[Dornob.com]

Photo courtesy of @mamalactea’s Instagram account

For the latest in culture, fashion, beauty, and celebrities, subscribe to our weekly newsletter here

Follow Preen on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, and Viber