One of the unique benefits of working at Cotton Babies is that we welcome babies at work. You’ve all seen the blog from the lovely Julia about bringing her son, Tommy, to work with her at the corporate offices for Cotton Babies. (If you haven’t, read it here and the update here…)

There’s a whole other side to bringing babies to work that differs from the office spaces that are Cotton Babies: the retail store. I was lucky enough to be able to quit my full-time job to work part-time, and, added bonus, bring my little one to work with me!

My daughter and I started working at Cotton Babies when she was about 3½ months old. I had a lot of anxiety about leaving her with adults and family that I completely trusted. Seriously, my dream job since I was in 8^th grade was to be a stay-at-home mom. Let me just say, there are SO many reasons I loved getting to have my daughter at work with me! Because 8 is my favorite number, here are my top 8 reasons, in no particular order.

1. Help support my family. I went back to my full-time job when my daughter was 8 weeks old, and I cried every morning on my commute to work. I wanted SO badly to just be with her. Working at Cotton Babies means I get to contribute to the financial stability of my family and still get to spend time with my daughter. It’s the best of both worlds!

2. Breastfeeding Support. Did you know Cotton Babies works with a local Lactation Counselor? She has helped me with so many breastfeeding questions in my breastfeeding journey. And, she was at work with me!

3. Very low/non-existence childcare costs. The main reason I was able to quit my full-time job was because my husband and I would no longer have to be paying a sitter for full work days. We simply didn’t need one anymore.

4. No pumping at work. Pumping at work is hard. It’s isolating, time-consuming, and some people just don’t get it and aren’t very supportive. When your babe is with you, and unless you have to pump then bottle feed, pumping isn’t necessary while at work.

5. Present for firsts. I missed the first time my daughter rolled over from front to back and back to front. I will always remember that. But, I was able to be around for the rest of them. I will always remember that, too.

6. Stick to our routine. I’m hesitant to use the word routine since there are so many things that change on the daily with a young one. But, those don’t have to be interrupted when your little one comes with you. Does my daughter usually nap around 1pm? Oh no, I’m at work at 1pm? Great! She will nap on me in my Ergobaby Adapt or in the 4MOMS playard in the office. Nailed it.

7. Bonding time. As I already mentioned, I have almost always wanted to be a stay-at-home mom. But, getting to be the stay-at-home mom that also works out of the home WITH my child gave me a new sense of purpose and drive.

8. Support system. Not having to “mom” in the isolation of my own home all day long. I am an introvert. For me, that means I don’t just go out and do stuff all the time. Add to that the stuff it takes to leave the house with a little one. I really don’t do it unless I have to. This makes life kind of isolating sometimes. However, working with other young moms and other young moms that have their littles with them at work really helped my post-partum depression. The mommas that I work with are just phenomenal ladies and I’m blessed to get to spend working hours with them.

BONUS: Customers have fun with our babies. I’m an introvert. (Have I mentioned that yet?) So, talking to people about all the things isn’t how I would imagine spending the best hours of my day. However, my daughter is a great buffer of cuteness that helped me get over myself. Having her at the store also means trying out the latest and greatest of baby gear.

Do you have any questions about what it’s like to bring a baby to work? Leave a comment below!