Babies in the Workplace

   When a baby is in day care for forty or fifty hours a week, many of the baby milestones can happen when the parent isn't there to witness them. Jackie Hockaday explained that she

   got to see my son roll over for the first time
   here [at work]. I didn't with my first child; it
   was a huge deal for me. It was one of
   those things I caught out of the corner of my
   eye while answering an email.

   Mary Admasian mentioned that Zutano believes it is very important for parents that they be able to be with their child during that first year, since babies grow so fast. As Mary noted, "babies change hourly." Being part of these magical moments can mean the world to parents.

   Baby programs also help women feel better about balancing their often- competing roles. The feminist movement was a revolution in women's beliefs and

opportunities in our society; it helped large numbers of women be empowered to enter the workforce and pursue active careers.

But many women feel as though there is something wrong with them whether they choose to stay home and focus on their children or they choose to postpone having children (or don't have them at all) and instead focus on directly contributing in the economic world. Taking babies to work bridges this division. Women who can participate in a baby program no longer need to feel guilty if they miss the intellectual stimulation of their job two weeks after their baby is born; they can just return to work and bring their baby with them.

Since the beginning of society, men and women have contributed to the survival and well-being of their family and community in a variety of ways. Taking babies to the office is, in a sense, no different from