Babies in the Workplace

overwhelming evidence is that extensive physical contact and responding quickly to a baby's needs are crucial for healthy intellectual and emotional development. Although this idea does not reflect the way that many people in our culture raise their babies, the scientific evidence clearly supports the importance of responsive care
and the fact that babies cry less if their needs are met quickly.

It turns out that the characteristics of many workplaces actually cultivate ideal conditions from a baby's perspective. Parents of babies in the workplace tend to meet their babies' needs as quickly and efficiently as possible so as not to risk disturbing their coworkers. They are more likely to hold their children extensively or to keep them in slings or packs so that the baby stays as content as possible, allowing the parent to get work done. These practices are key reasons that

babies in the workplace cry so infrequently.

American society is still recovering from the myth that babies can be spoiled if their parents hold them extensively and immediately respond to their cries for help. This concern about "spoiling" babies raises the question: What does it mean to "spoil" a child?

Most people consider a child spoiled if he routinely cries or throws a tantrum in order to get what he wants (such as a toy). Older children who do this sort of thing do it because they have found that it works. If parents ignore the tantrums or otherwise teach children that their behavior is not acceptable, children realize that their tactics aren't achieving the goals they want, and they learn more appropriate methods of interacting with other people such as asking nicely for what they want.