Willow-Jean Prime's baby Heeni seemed happy to be held by the Speaker of the House while her mum worked.

The new Speaker of the House is making good on his promise to make Parliament more family friendly.

Trevor Mallard shared his seat with Labour MP Willow-Jean Prime's three-month-old baby Heeni on Wednesday evening.

Mallard looked after the baby while members debated a bill to extend paid parental leave from 18 weeks to 22 weeks in July, and to 26 weeks by July 2020.

FAIRFAX Australian senator Larissa Waters was applauded for normalising breastfeeding earlier this year, now Labour MP Willow-Jean Prime has followed suit.

Heeni sat calmly, while Mallard rocked the baby on his lap.

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The display came a day after Mallard said some aspects of Parliament needed to be modernised and to become more family friendly.

And earlier, Prime breastfed her baby girl in the debating chamber.

Prime is one of the first MPs to breastfeed in the chamber.

Former National MP Katherine Rich said she breastfed her baby Georgia in the House in 2002.

A special room near the chamber was established in the 1983 to allow women to breastfeed, thanks to former National MP Ruth Richardson. And in the 1990s Parliament established a childcare centre.

The incredible @WillowPrime and her beautiful pēpi in the chamber. Literal baby of the house. 💚❤️ pic.twitter.com/WYRvTza6mS — Chlöe Swarbrick (@_chloeswarbrick) September 28, 2017

Australian Senator Larissa Waters made history earlier this year when she breastfed her infant inside Australian Parliament.

At the time, Stuff asked the Office of the Clark whether the same could happen in New Zealand.

While there was no standing order on the subject of breastfeeding, MPs usually left the chamber to breastfeed.

And recently the committee amended the standing orders to allow Heeni, and other MPs' babies to come into the House.

The times they are a changing. The Speaker with @WillowPrime little Heeni during PPL Bill this evening. pic.twitter.com/PX2x3NZaJi — Grant Robertson (@grantrobertson1) November 8, 2017

Labour's Jenny Salesa spoke on the bill before the House while Mallard was holding Heeni.

"The Paid Parental Leave and Employment bill is about recognising the importance of bonding between infants and their parents, between Speakers of the House and infants," Salesa said.

"It is about recognising our children have the best possible start in life, it is about doing what is right."

She finished by saying she hoped Mallard was as patient with the members as he was with the baby.

- Clarification: An earlier version on this story said it was understood Willow-Jean Prime was the first MP to breastfeed in the debating chamber. The story has been updated.