Babies in the Workplace

These extensive benefits of breastfeeding may explain (in an anthropological sense) why babies have such a strong desire to suck frequently, even when they aren't necessarily hungry. This is perhaps why pacifiers are relied on so heavily in our culture--a pacifier is, in effect, a substitute for the unrestricted breastfeeding that is common in non-Western cultures. Babies in the workplace who are able to nurse frequently are less likely to get sick or have digestive pain, are more easily comforted, and are more likely to feel satisfied and content overall.

Babies Sleep Frequently and Limited Duration of Program

Although a few companies allow babies to come to work until a year of age (or older), the majority of companies with baby programs limit a baby's stay until approximately six to eight months of age.

It's no accident that this time frame coincides with when most babies begin crawling or walking. Monitoring a crawling child while trying to work is far more difficult than caring for a stationary baby, and a toddler wandering around an office can create serious liability risks for a business. Having this "mobility" limitation as part of their official baby policy allows companies to compromise between helping their employees to balance family obligations and ensuring that work still gets done and safety risks are minimized.

Also, babies sleep most of each day during the first few months of life. Especially if babies are kept in physical contact with another person and are breastfed, they rarely cry for more than a few seconds at a time. Many parents who brought their babies to work kept them in a front pack or backpack nearly all day,