The Breastfeeding Knockoff Whose Inventors Think Babies Are Stupid
The 2019 Dentsu gadget – a dad-worn, pleather breast with a formula tank and heated silicone nipple – actually had the nerve to claim this:
“With the softness and warmth close to that of a mother’s breast, babies are none the wiser, and can relax as usual.”
What a steaming pile of absolute rubbish.
Babies aren’t clueless blobs who can’t tell a fake breast from the real thing. They’re born with razor-sharp sensory systems designed to lock onto their actual mother.
This marketing drivel doesn’t just underestimate them — it completely ignores basic infant biology.
Here’s Why It’s Complete Garbage
Newborns Have A Sense Of Smell That’s Off The Charts From Day One
They recognise their own mother’s breast odour, skin scent, and milk within hours of birth.
They:
- Turn towards her scent
- Suck more effectively
- Calm down specifically for her
That’s not guesswork. That’s hardwired survival biology.
Formula in a plastic sack?
- Zero maternal pheromones
- Zero microbiome transfer
- Zero amniotic familiarity
It doesn’t smell like safety.
It doesn’t smell like mum.
It smells fake — and babies know it.
Taste And Flow Are Just As Obvious
Breast milk is a dynamic, living fluid:
- Shifts from foremilk → hindmilk
- Changes flavour based on maternal diet
- Adjusts fat and nutrient composition mid-feed
Formula?
Same. Flat. Unchanging. Every time.
Real breastfeeding involves:
- A living, responsive nipple
- A let-down reflex
- Complex tongue and jaw mechanics
Babies use entirely different sucking patterns on a real breast versus a synthetic teat.
This isn’t subtle — it’s fundamental.
Plenty of infants:
- Reject artificial nipples
- Struggle with flow differences
- Develop feeding confusion
A heated silicone nipple?
- No let-down
- No adaptive flow
- No biological response
It’s a prop — not a substitute.
Then There’s The Full Sensory Package
Yes, you can heat plastic.
Yes, you can make it squishy.
But real maternal contact delivers:
- Thermal regulation (not just warmth, but stability)
- Heartbeat rhythm the baby already knows
- Breathing patterns synced from the womb
- Oxytocin-driven calming and bonding
Skin-to-skin contact with the mother:
- Drops cortisol
- Stabilises heart rate
- Builds neurological attachment pathways
A wearable gadget?
It imitates surface features while missing the entire biological system underneath.
Calling that “close enough” is not innovation —
it’s ignorance dressed up as tech.
This Isn’t Just Stupid Marketing — It’s Actively Harmful
This claim:
- Downplays immune protection (antibodies)
- Ignores microbiome transfer
- Overlooks jaw and oral development
- Minimises emotional regulation and bonding
And worse — it promotes the idea that:
“Any warm object with milk will do.”
That’s not just wrong.
It’s dangerously misleading.
Dads absolutely have a role:
- Feeding with expressed milk or formula
- Skin-to-skin bonding
- Supporting the feeding process
No argument there.
But pretending a gadget makes them biologically interchangeable with the mother?
That’s not equality. That’s fiction.
Final Reality Check
Babies aren’t “none the wiser.”
They are:
- Chemically tuned
- Sensory-driven
- Biologically programmed
To recognise their mother.
No amount of:
- Heated pleather
- Silicone shaping
- Or marketing spin
Changes that.
Anyone pushing that claim isn’t innovating — they’re oversimplifying something they clearly don’t understand.
References
Dentsu Inc. (2019). SXSW 2019 Showcase – Father’s Nursing Assistant. https://www.dentsu.co.jp/en/showcase/sxsw2019_2.html
USA Today. (2019). SXSW debuts dad breastfeeding device so moms can take a break. https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/allthemoms/2019/03/13/sxsw-debuts-dad-breastfeeding-device-dentsu-so-moms-can-take-break/3149220002/
Daily Mail. (2019). Bizarre wearable gadget allows dads to breastfeed babies. https://www.dailymail.co.uk/lifestyle/article-6811433/What-think-Bizarre-new-wearable-gadget-allows-dads-BREASTFEED-babies.html
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