Advocates know that permitting babies on the job is not a universal solution. It wouldn’t work well, for example, with certain jobs, like doctoring and teaching, or for particularly fussy infants. But even naysayers may be surprised by the results of research conducted by Mary Secret, a social-work professor at Virginia Commonwealth University. Her 2005 analysis of 55 businesses with baby-friendly policies found that people often anticipate disaster but there is rarely a negative effect on co-workers or productivity. What’s more, she learned that having babies around can boost morale among colleagues. “We have tended to have this myth of the separation between work and family,” Secret says. “In reality, that never existed.”

Of course, studying how babies affect a workplace is one thing, and experiencing it is another. Here are some views from people who have:

The Working Mom

Susan Goodykoontz, 42, epidemiologist, Arizona department of public health, Phoenix.

At various times, she took three of her four kids to work. “I felt as though I had a before-and-after experience with my children,” she says. “It’s a great benefit, you have more time to find day care, and it’s obviously a cost-saving.” Still, it does require some adjustments. “It definitely takes some getting used to,” she admits. “Some things are difficult, such as talking on the phone when your baby wants to talk too.”

The Business Owner

Debra Pierson, 40, Pierson Consulting Co., Mechanicsburg, Pa.

She lets employees bring babies on a case-by-case basis. “I don’t think a baby is any more distracting than talk about Dancing with the Stars or what you did over the weekend,” she says. “I really think it’s the best of both worlds for those women who can bring their babies to work. They can care for their own child and not miss those firsts.”…

The Convert

Don Herrington, 50, bureau chief for epidemiology and disease control, Arizona department of public health, Phoenix.

He has no children and initially opposed the program. “It couldn’t have been more the 180° opposite. Any reservations I had are gone,” he says. “The babies were a great source of morale. Everyone enjoyed seeing them–they were happier people.”