Opinion: Let New Moms Bring Babies to Work

agreed. how exactly is bringing your baby to work a way of adjusting to going back to work? If anything it creates the need to adjust to a completely different situation of being mom and employee at one time (overwhelming to say the least), which will then change again when you eventually have to leave the baby at home after this supposed adjustment period.

perhaps a more realistic way to handle easing back into work is to allow new moms to start back part time and extend their hours into full time over a period of a few months?

You are so correct! One of my co-workers brought her new born baby to work everyday, she was supervisor of the department and we got stuck holding, calming and watching the baby when she needed to do something. Work did not get done, her work had to be gone over for mistakes because her attention was on the baby.
It was high stress for all of us that worked there, she also had 4 other children (wild ones) that disrupted the office. She had the baby not the office and I resented having to deal with her and the baby when I had work to do!

its called MULTITASKING. who cares what your coworkers think. are you really okay with leaving your child with someone else because you dont want to disrupt a coworker? are you saying you would pass on the opportunity to spend the extra time with your kids? everyone in this world seems to understand the importance of being with your child afterbirth, for more than just 8 weeks, except for america. get with the program. stop being selfish.

Even considering this situation is totally rediculous. If anything, we should not encourage families to have babies they cannot support with their OWN time. If you want to have children you have to be sure your family has the TIME and MONEY to support that decision!

Our society needs to get to the point where they view having children as a tremendous amount of responsibility and not an entitlement to living out their lives.

You should either stay home with kids or if you do work......leave them home. (alone if ya have to) Those were my only choices & should be everyone elses only choice.

I was so extremely fortunate when my son was born. My boss was very flexible. I had a play pen set up next to my desk. I brought my son 3 days a week and took him to a wonderful day care center 2 days. When he turned a year old, it was office - 2 days; day care - 3 days.

It was a not-for-profit residential program for mentally retarded children. I was the fiscal director. Yes, some times, other staff helped watch him. In fact, they loved the idea. The kids loved him and were sad when he couldn't come any more. Even my board of directors didn't blink when he ended up at a board meeting cause of sitter problems.

Does it work for everyone? No. But I bet it can work for more people if people just were open minded.

Our office is rather messy... in fact dirty. It's an office attached to a wearhouse filled with lots of dirt..etc. A landscaping co. But the office manager brought both her babies their in the beginning. But people bring their dogs... and their muddy boots too!

Thank you. Having been both an employee and an employer , it should be obvious that an employee's function is to make money for the firm, employer et al. If an employer is kind enough to have day care or other arrangements, then God bless them. It is certainly never to be a requirement. With 10 million (i don't know who counts them all) unemployed in this country employees are a dime a dozen.

Would you be open to a facility at work, such as a daycare or half daycare paid by your employer, where you could visit them after six months of age & up to three when they are ready for pre-school? I am interested in your reply as you are a mother of three & thinking back to when you were a first time mommy what were your thoughts and trepidations about return to work after only six weeks (if this applies to your case)? If the company did have an "open" policy to bring your baby to work, what stipulations would be acceptable to you? Thank you in advance for your reply. :)

Well said ! ! !
Either mom OR dad should stay home to raise the kids to at LEAST school age.

There is so much wrong with this bizarre idea, one doesn't know where to start.
Is it not enough that the majority of Western short-sighted society institutionalizes children from birth, through daycares, schools, then prisons, drug re-habs etc ...primarily due to OUR failure to acknowledge the importance of PROPERLY raising kids at home.

MULTITASKING???--puh-leeeeease ! ! ! !
SELFISH????? Having a baby & then institutionalizing it is about as selfish as one can get.
SACRIFICE is the answer, somehow I think comestics/make-up, vacations, plastic surgeries and so forth appear more important in todays world,...than that of the entire future of our children.

While at work with their kids, are these women supposed to be productive at work,....or productive as teachers to forming young minds?
Does the job get done properly, or the child be left to drool in a corner, while mom tries to prove wat a great employee she is.

How about colleagues?......Will they need to listen to kids crying, smell dirty diapers and so forth while they try to work?
How will their productivity be affected? Perhaps this will provide an opportunity for increased "Ritalin" sales to hush children while mom and her colleagues try to work.
Simply from a "productivity" standpoint,, this idea is CANCER to
our already challenged families AND work environment.

This is pushing the alleged "quality-time" propoganda to new heights.Clearly, yet another knee-jerk and completely ignorant solution to our "21st Century breakdown".

There is a PLETHORA of benefits to raising a child AT HOME,
in a STABLE environment, with either mom OR dad.
I repeat,..i beleive it should be LEGISLATED that either MOM or DAD raises a child, or at least a blood relative,...rather than some stranger.

A child has 100% attention ( from most "normal" parents ), the home is typically maintained, and there is a sense of stabilty.
This is possible, however it requires GENEROSITY and SEL-SACRIFICE during at LEAST the first 6 years of life.

We then wonder why our youth has minimal if any "family" values,
will grow up to have children without commitment ( except for government enforced child support,...which ironically often encourages disposal of a less than perfect husband,..even if he's an excellent dad ), and in at least half the unions,...end up in divorce.

Will it be okay for a nurse to bring a child to a germ infested work area, or a hooker to prowl for clients?

We have bent over backwards, and to a large degree, simply bent over & given in to the self-centered, and I dare say evil minoritys
propoganda of womens "liberation"
The solution is,....if a paren

"Punk" rockers Green Day have been singing/expressing since the early 80's, the anguish we are put our children through in this messed up society. They are far from being child psychologists,
but powerfully relay the destruction of our society in their award winning albums, "American Idiot" and "21st Century Breakdown".
My point is, you needn't be a scholar to HEAR the pain we are causing children and humanity by betraying our most fundamental
and crucial rolls.

As Canadian Senator the Honorable Anne Cools once said in a
speech on the destruction of the family and society as we know it,
she beleives there is a small group of RADICAL feminists intent on
destroying the family , for their personal gain. Senators Colls speech fell just short of calling this work of evil forces.

I can go on seemingly endlessly, however it is up to YOU to determine whether you allow the Western Decline to continue,...
or do what is right for our kids,...and certainly for ALL of us in the end.

With respect and hope ,....
Hank Skot - Montreal Canada

Beautifully said ! ! !
Are our children more important or the mini-mansions??
Clearly, you are the minority who understands the worth of sacrifice,
and the importance of a childs needs.
God BLESS you and yours,..and thank you for your sacrifice! ! !
Hank in Montreal Canada

Paula,
Get real. New mom's, when they are ready, leave the child for a whopping 8 hours just like your mom, or at grandmother did. All you do is develop the child to be so overdependent on Mommy as you probably are. As for all smiles while tripping over toys, just wait until there's an injury...and a lawsuit. You'll probably be the one to bring it.

Paula,
After I had my first child, I returned to work. Not full time but part time instead. My boss loved the idea as he had 2 employees and didn't have to pay benefits to either one of us (had medical under hubby). I paid a very good friend to watch my son on the days I worked and truthfully as much as I love my son, I loved going to work and not being "Mom" for those 8 hours..I got to be the person I was before having kids and I truthfully think it made me a better Mom and my kids better adjusted children. My son is now 21 and my daughter is 16. Both are great kids (from what I know) they can tell me the rest when they are 30!!