Babies in the Workplace

closely involved in the care of their infant children, and paternity leave of at least a week or two is slowly becoming more common, there are still a lot of cultural obstacles for fathers who want to develop a strong bond with their babies. It used to be believed that babies only bonded with one parent, who generally ended up being the mother due to breastfeeding and due to the fact that the norm was for the mother to spend the majority of time with a new baby. But it is now clear that babies can bond deeply with multiple caregivers whom they see on a regular basis and for whom they develop trust that the caregiver will effectively meet their needs.

Though mothers are more likely to be the ones utilizing a baby program, these programs also give fathers the opportunity to develop a strong bond with their infants when the mother works in a company that does not yet have a baby program.

If both parents are fortunate enough to work in businesses with baby programs, they can take turns taking the baby to work. This would give both parents baby-free days to catch up on any work that is difficult to get done with a baby around and would enable the baby to develop a close bond with both parents.

Taking their babies to work can give working fathers the opportunity to learn to multitask with a baby--something which even many "modern" fathers haven't really experienced. It will increase their feelings of attachment to their child, enhance their confidence in their own parenting skills (which can lead to more willingness to take on other parenting tasks), and is also
likely to increase their appreciation for their partner's ability to accomplish a variety of tasks at home or at work while
simultaneously caring for children.