IT could soon be the must-have fashion accessory for every mother-to-be - the MP3 player that plays music for your unborn child.

The Blaby musical belt allows women to provide their own personal soundtrack for the baby growing in the womb.

Many parents and experts say that listening to music in the womb can help improve a child's development and creativity as well as having a calming effect.

Geoff Ramsay's invention consists of a belt with an MP3 player and three speakers pointed inwards to the stomach area. Users can download music to the belt from a computer or iPod, or record their own songs to play.

The belt has a screen that allows the mother to choose which songs are played, and control buttons are sewn into the fabric.

Mr Ramsay, who is studying industrial design at Carleton University in Ottowa, said: "A lot of mothers play music to their unborn child and I wanted to make it easier for them to do that. I have had a lot of interest from manufacturers, so we are hopeful it could be in production soon.

"We wanted to let the mother record their own lullaby, so you can record anything you want on the belt, or simply play pre-recorded music."

Mr Ramsay aims to target the Blaby at mothers who think playing music - particularly classical music - can boost a child's creativity in later life.

This theory, known as the Mozart Effect, was popularised by French researcher Dr Alfred Tomatis in the early Nineties and picked up by researchers who believe exposure to the right kind of music can have a lasting, beneficial effect.

However, other scientists say the effects on the brain's development are unproven.

Dr Alex Lamont, a lecturer in psychology of music at Keele University, said: "Playing music to an unborn child can help calm them.

"We know the foetus in the womb is able to hear fully only 20 weeks after conception. However, it doesn't matter what music you play, it's all about familiarity. For mothers, it is really about creating a routine, and if classical music helps them relax, they should play it. But in reality they could play The Prodigy and still get the same effect."

Dr Lamont's research also found babies can remember the music they are played. In tests, babies showed a significant preference for pieces of music they had heard more than a year before, compared with very similar music they were hearing for the first time. Dr Lamont used music chosen by mothers including classical (opera, Mozart and Vivaldi), world (Spirits of Nature), reggae (UB40, Ken Boothe) and pop (Five).

I play mellow classics at bathtime to soothe my son

Anjana Gosai, a 31-year-old author from Edmonton, and her baby boy Shiv Singh (10 weeks old)

MY FIRST indication that my baby responded to music came when I was pregnant and on holiday in Bali. I was staying at a spa resort and one of the many relaxation-inducing activities on offer was called "Starlight Gazing", which involved lying on a floating bed over the water, admiring the stars, while listening to soothing Balinese music. It was a memorable evening for my husband and I because it was the first time we felt our baby kick - it was the most magical experience. I started to play music to my unborn baby almost every day.

I would play music by Mozart, Bach and Beethoven. I play mellow classical music during bath and massage time - it always works to relax and soothe him before he goes to sleep.

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