About Baby-Friendly

The Baby-Friendly program supports a positive work/life balance, honors the employee’s contribution to the department, and shows that the company practices what is encouraged in our communities; supporting parent and infant bonding, parental well-being, healthy infant development, and breastfeeding.

As a public health agency, this program aligns with our mission as we know and support the value of parent and infant bonding in the earliest states of life. We encourage other employers to adopt this mission goal as well. The Nevada Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) has had approximately 170 employees/infants who have participated in the Babies in the Workplace program so far. The program was initially developed and piloted by our Division of Child and Family Services (DCFS). With it’s huge success, the program was shared with the other 5 divisions.

Director of DHHS, Richard Whitley and pilot program infants/mothers

Our goal is to ensure the program is successful for each employee that brings their baby to work. That it is a positive, beneficial experience. Since each employee and situation can be a little different, our HR staff informally meets to discuss the program with the participant, their expectations, and what we can do to make it a successful experience. During these meetings conversations, typically staff will discuss options that are available to them, such as breastfeeding. Depending on the employees’ work location, this might be providing access to designated nursing rooms, designate a private office they can use, allow them to use a conference room in private, or they can use their cubicles. It really depends on the mothers preference, but the aim is to accommodate the employee anyway possible!

 

Benefits of Infants at Work