Babies on Board Can you take care of baby and business at the same time?

Q: I get the impression that when you're working fromhome and have small children, it's best to arrange for childcare. But one reason I brought my business home was so I could bewith my newborn. What is your opinion about this? Can I both workfrom home and take care of my daughter while she's still a babein arms?

A: As you can tell from the previousquestion, depending on one's personal style and particularbusiness, many parents work from home successfully while caring fortheir children. But your question is more specific. You'reasking about a particular age group, such as 0 to 8 months,that's often considered a time when babies need full-time adultattention. We've recently discovered a book that provides someunique insights into this question and reinforces your instinctualdesire to be with your baby during this formative time.

The book, The Continuum Concept, was written by JeanLiedloff, who spent two and a half years living with Yequana tribesin the jungles of South America. Although she did not go there tostudy the child-rearing practices of this culture, what she noticedwas so strikingly different from how we raise our children, shecouldn't help but become intrigued.