Here’s something new and exciting for proud parents-to-be:  The Ritmo™ Advanced Sound System by Nuvo.  The Ritmo is a lightweight belt that pregnant women (sorry fellas!) can wear around their belly.  Expecting parents will be able to share sensory and emotional experience with their developing baby.      The belt has four speakers, a pocketable controller and can easily be connected to your iPod/iPhone, BlackBerry, or any other MP3 player.  You’ll be able to listen to your favorite music playlists as well as be able to read aloud to your developing child.

While I don’t have kids, if I was expecting one I could totally see myself getting one of these for Junior!  That may be one of many reasons to explain why I don’t have children, but I digress….

Straight from the Nuvo Group’s site:

The Ritmo™ Advanced Sound System by Nuvo is the most advanced and complete prenatal music player, delivering quality and safe sound to the tiniest listeners.

Ritmo allows you and your baby to share the sensory and emotional experience of bonding through sound and music, while being supportive, safe, and stylish at the same time.

Extensive scientific research shows numerous positive contributions of music to human fetal development.

Reactive listening begins at 17 weeks, so choose classical music for the calming Mozart Effect, the classic rock of The Beatles, or the upbeat show tunes of Broadway. Any type of audio you can listen to on your iPod/MP3′s earphones can be enjoyed by your baby at the same time.

Interested in sharing your love for technology before they’re even born?  We’ve got more details, pricing, and tons of photos after the jump!

LET THE LOVE STORY BEGIN! RITMO IS THE PERFECT VALENTINES’ GIFT FOR YOUR PREGNANT WIFE. Whisper Sweet Nothings or Play a Love Song to Your Baby in the Womb, Using the Ritmo™ Advanced Pregnancy Sound System.
February 8, 2010 – Columbia, SC, Nuvo Group, USA is excited to announce the release of the Ritmo™ Advanced Pregnancy Sound System in time for Valentine’s Day.

Vanilla and chocolate, pickles and ice cream and Ritmo and an iPod…These are just a few of the great pairings that will make this Valentine’s Day even more fulfilling this year for the pregnant woman in your life.

The Ritmo Advanced Pregnancy Sound System delivers music and sound recordings straight from your own iPod/MP3 player in-utero safely and effectively.

Often referred to as the Mozart Effect, numerous studies show that playing music for a developing baby during pregnancy contributes positively to bonding and stress reduction. Basically, when mom is relaxed and happy, then baby is too. When they listen to music together their connection is enhanced.

But Dad can share the sensory and emotional experience of bonding with baby too, because the type of sound Ritmo can deliver to the womb expands beyond music. Using Ritmo Dad can read baby his favorite book, sing a lullaby or even talk to him/her on a phone from miles away.

Here’s how Ritmo works…

The expectant mother wears a fashionable, lightweight belt that hugs her pregnant belly. The belt has four encased speakers and a controller/stabilizer, the size of a deck of cards, which fits comfortably into a tiny pocket. Her own audio device connects to the controller.

The controller, otherwise known as Ritmo’s “brain”, actually learns the patterns of the music and regulates the output of sound to a stable and safe level for a baby to hear in-utero, regardless of how loud the sound was recorded and the volume that it is played.

She can listen to the music through her own ear buds along with the baby, or choose to focus on something else. It’s her choice.

Mom-to-be will love how easily Ritmo fits into her active lifestyle way beyond Valentine’s Day. Whether practicing yoga, walking the dog, working or simply relaxing, Ritmo’s soft state-of-the-art fabric belt is lightweight, elasticized, supportive, washable and irritation-free.

“My Ritmo is so comfortable I wear it when I’m cleaning house, watching TV, or even reading a book,” says Tara Meussling. “I am a big fan of the Temptations so I play them on my Ritmo so my baby can enjoy it too. When he starts moving, I know it’s working!”

Ritmo stands apart from other products in its category for many reasons.

It was developed under the guidance of medical experts in acoustics, resulting in Nuvo’s Safe & Sound technology.

It addresses both the baby’s safety and the expectant mother’s comfort in one comprehensive solution.

Post-pregnancy, Ritmo continues to adapt to children’s changing environments and needs, with applications for the crib, stroller and toys… all coming soon.These unique features make Ritmo the prenatal sound system of choice for families who want to deliver sound safely in-utero.For more information about Nuvo and Ritmo, please visit http://www.nuvo-group.com.  About Nuvo
Founded in 2006 by Oren Oz, Nuvo Group, Inc., is comprised of full-time parents, who also happen to be internationally recognized engineers, award-winning designers, and entrepreneurs. Nuvo creates and manufactures innovative developmental products that are designed to create shared experiences between parents and their children.

Products are designed to stimulate, educate and challenge – while being fun to use. Nuvo labs and research teams focus on providing targeted answers to recognized needs – whether for prenatal or early childhood applications.

Acclaimed for using imaginative designs, cutting-edge technologies, and advanced materials, Nuvo Group’s solutions address the needs and lifestyles of modern parents and their kids.

In the case of Ritmo, experts in the fields of acoustics and bio-medicine developed its technology, based on hundreds of third party research papers and studies

The Ritmo™ Advanced Sound System is currently available for a special introductory price of $129.99 directly from Nuvo (regularly priced at $149.99.