Scientific Nursing Top Gives Breastfeeding Babies A
Brain Workout
Science Daily — Breastfeeding babies could become
smarter thanks to a scientifically designed 'clever
baby' nursing top recently revealed by the University
of Portsmouth.

Clever baby nursing top will promote breastfeeding. 
The new nursing top incorporates the latest research
in infant cognitive development by using patterns
designed to stimulate babies' vision.
Studies indicate that patterns with high contrast
colours, especially black and white, register
powerfully on a baby’s retina and send strong visual
signals to the brain - the equivalent of a visual
workout for the baby. It increases neurological
connections in the brain and aids crucial cognitive
development.
And the top’s unique design makes breastfeeding easier
for mum too. It has been fashionably designed while
allowing mothers to maintain comfort and dignity. The
cross-over design allows the baby to feed on the
breast without the mother having to lift up the whole
top and the garment is designed to cover the tummy
area which many mums are sensitive about after
childbirth.
The 'clever baby' nursing top has been created by
Fatima Ba-Alawi from the University of Portsmouth
Centre for Enterprise working in collaboration with
Heidi McLaughlin from Hampshire-based baby wear
manufacturer GROE. Together they formed Nursing Mother
Groe baby (NMGB).
"Infants learn a tremendous number of skills during
their first two years. The path from the purely
reflexive 'eat-sleep-poop' stage to running around and
asking mum 'why is the sky blue?' requires learning at
a rate unmatched at any other stage of life," Ms
McLaughlin said.
"Breastfeeding time can be used as a valuable learning
and cognitive development session during such an
important phase in an infant's development," she said.
Ms Ba-Alawi said that she wanted to address a gap in
the market with her design. “I watched my two sisters
struggle with breastfeeding their children and failing
to find something attractive and fashionable to wear,”
she said. “NMGB will address both those needs.”
Statistics from the National Childbirth Trust reveal
21 per cent of mothers who start breastfeeding stop in
the first two weeks and that 93 per cent of these
women would have liked to have breastfed for longer
but found it difficult. And 43 percent of
breastfeeding mothers who had fed while they were out
in public were likely to have encountered problems.
Lynn Timms is an International Board Certified
Lactation Consultant who runs her own breastfeeding
support service, ‘Breastfeeding Matters’.
She said: ''Anxiety, worry or embarrassment can affect
the important hormones produced during breastfeeding
and disrupt the let-down, or flow of breast milk. An
item of clothing, like this new breastfeeding top,
that allows a mum to feel more confident and relaxed
about breastfeeding in public will mean that their
baby is more relaxed and satisfied.”
Ms Ba-Alawi said she hoped that the new tops would
encourage mothers to not only take up breastfeeding,
but to continue to so with a feeling of comfort and
dignity.
Note: This story has been adapted from a news release
issued by University of Portsmouth.

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