Babies in the Workplace

babies' health--that babies need extensive human contact.

   Most babies who come to the workplace receive frequent physical contact just like the babies in non-Western cultures. These workplace babies were right next to their mother or father all day long. In many cases, the parents held the babies in a carrier or on their laps while they worked, so the babies received lots of physical contact and thus felt secure and happy. Sandy Jaffe, of The Booksource, noted that:

   These babies were held more than
   normal--you'd walk in and see the
   receptionist just holding her baby and
   doing her job.

   Wendy Zanotelli said that babies can come to work at UNCLE Credit Union "as soon as the doctor releases mom or dad and baby to come. One baby started at

six weeks old. He spent a lot of time in a front pack. It went great." If a baby made a sound of discomfort, the parent was right there to immediately meet the baby's needs.

Studies have clearly shown the connection between holding babies more and babies crying less. Here's a fascinating quote from the study summary: "We conclude that supplemental carrying modifies "normal" crying by reducing the duration and altering the typical pattern of crying and fussing in the first 3 months of life. The relative lack of carrying in our society may predispose to crying and colic in normal infants." This makes perfect sense since colic doesn't even exist in cultures in which babies are carried pretty much constantly during the day (and are also breastfed frequently and sleep with their parents at night). To people in these