Babies in the Workplace

Babies in the Workplace  12

13  Why it Works

A baby's cry thus evolved along with a mother's hormones such that mothers feel tremendous internal pressure to meet their babies' needs and stop the crying.  The psychological bond between babies and parents that is created through months of responsive communication and close contact is designed to encourage parents to care for their young, as well as to encourage young children to stay close to their parents so that they can be protected from the dangers of the world--whether the dangers are wild animals or an out-of-control vehicle in modern society.    If babies in the office screamed for hours on end as a "typical" American baby does, babies-in-the-workplace programs would last about five minutes.  But most parents who bring their babies to work are highly responsive to their babies--thus tapping in to a secret of happy, healthy babies of which our society had lost sight.

Babies Love Physical Contact    Nearly-constant physical contact is another reason that babies in the workplace cry far less than most American babies.  Not only do babies enjoy lots of physical contact with other people; they need it for normal development.  In some cultures, babies are almost constantly on their mothers' hips or backs while the mothers work, so they receive the frequent physical contact that has been shown to be so crucial for proper physical and psychological development.  Women in these countries can't grasp, for example, why strollers are so prevalent in Western society; they can't understand why Americans would want to keep their babies so far away from them.    They believe--and their belief is backed up by evidence about human history and