advice and tips for taking baby to work?

[zoeart]

I'm looking for some support/ advice/ tricks and tips for going back to work with the babe... I have a part-time job that is very flexible and I can do some work from home, but I do need to actually go TO work sometimes...

So, any advice or ideas about ways to manage the babe at work would be greatly appreciated! He'll be 9 weeks when I start going back in.

My plans so far include wearing him the ergo ( as I am right now!), bringing in a carseat-carrier, and a bouncy seat... I have an office with a door that I can close when nursing...

[FeminineFigure]

Well, truthfully it is quite difficult, as I'm sitting here in my office with my baby on my lap distracting me, and taking a brief break on MDC. I own a business so I've had to work with the little one 2 days after coming home from the hospital after an emergency c-section.

How much room do you have? I have a portable swing, and sometimes I bring the bouncy, and sometimes I wear him, though he doesn't like to be worn when I'm sitting. I'm seriously thinking about somehow propping my computer up on something so I can work while standing! I need to "rotate" him sometimes to get his attention moved from one thing to another.

Honestly, some days I get nothing done. Other days I get lots done because he sleeps more. Take advantage of this time and don't procrastinate.

[rcr]

I took DS to work a lot until he was about 9 or 10 MO. If it is hard now, just wait until he is more mobile and active and does not want to sleep as much!

things that helped when he was young were: I had him in the swing and he went right to sleep. I also had a nursing pillow, that I would put him on while sitting in my office chair and nurse while I was working. I would wear him sometimes, but unless he was sleeping, he was not content just sitting there looking at me working. The swing was the one that played music, and he was entertained by that longer than when I put him in the bouncy chair.

I know some people do it with a lot of success - I was not one of them. I stopped taking him to work before he was year old, and now on the rare occasions that he comes to work, I get nothing done. Actually, now that he is running and walking, it is worse than getting nothing done - it is counterproductive - because he grabs papers off my desk, tears pages out of books, and wants to play with things like paper clips and staplers.

[Aries1985]

I bring my 15 month old to work with me and have been since she was 6 months old. I work for my dad so it's very flexible. She has toys there, a pnp for when I need to keep her contained, and we schedule lots of breaks to walk around the office or our outside courtyard. It is VERY hard a lot of the time. I finally broke down and got a dvd player and she watches a movie when I get really busy or if I need to make phone calls. We can't afford daycare, so there's really no other option. She naps on me in a Beco pretty well.

[sunanthem]

I brought my first child to work with me from when he was 3 wks old until he was 9 months old and started walking.. (which we couldn't have in the store b/c it was an art gallery/gift shop with breakables).
All I ever brought were dipes, a blanket and my sling. He would nurse while I sat at the register, nap on the floor on blankets, or in a small trunk they had there that I would pad with blankets- there wasn't any room for a swing or anything like that. I brought a few toys to shake and such as he got older.
That's all we didn't need much, and he was a big hit with the customers!

[simcon]

My 9.5 month old son doesn't come with me to work too much any more, but he did quite a bit from 6 weeks-4 months.

There are about 3-4 people in my office who *love* babies, and will hold mine while I go to the bathroom/make a presentation in a meeting/make a phone call. I think it's good to find those people early (i.e. while the baby is younger, not mobile and often sleepy), and they might be able to help you out in a pinch, even when your baby gets more active and needing engagement.

We also did the ergo/sling/wrap/mai tei, mixed it up in terms of sitting at the computer/having short walking errands around the office/meetings, etc. Also a blanket on the floor with toys, a soft cushy blanket or sheepskin to sleep on, etc.

[zoeart]

thanks for telling about your experiences everyone! it sounds like I should be prepared for a challenge, but that like most things with the babes, it will depend on the particular baby and the situation. i do have room enough for a swing so i might try that - he LOVES motion!

[alegna]

I think a lot depends on what kind of work you need to do and if there can be some variation in it. I work very part time and ds comes with me. I find that as long as I can vary what I'm doing (work at the computer when he's cool with that, move around and do something else when he's not) it works out fine.

good luck!

-Angela

[lolar2]

A stroller might work OK for a while.