No one in the offices at the North Dakota Department of Health minds a few crybabies.

They also don't mind the naps, snack breaks and regular walks on the the clock that this small group of people take during business hours.

"My biggest concern is crying," said Karalee Harper, director for tobacco prevention control. "I thought it would bother others, but a baby's cry is like a breath of fresh air."

Even so, she's quick to calm her 3-month-old son, Travis, as he sits on the corner of her desk and starts fussing. He's camera shy. A few minutes later, he was sound asleep. Parents are able to quickly respond to their children's needs, so fussing and crying is usually quickly handled.

The babies are short-timers, and within six months, they'll be gone. The workers will celebrate when they leave for daycare. New parents at many state offices can take their children who are under 6 months old to work.

"They love seeing them,"human resource director Kerry Olson said. "It brings a smile to their faces."

Sometimes there will be two or three babies followed by a few months without any babies, he said. The program allows parents who might not have a lot of extra leave time saved up to continue working while still spending time with their new child, he said.

Parents find it convenient, and co-workers enjoy the little ones around the office.

"Everybody loves him," Jessica Gilbertson said, while holding her 5-month-old son Benjamin on her hip. "The people definitely made it easier."

Co-workers, some of whom are going through the same thing, stop by to take Benjamin for a walk, or have him sit with them for a while.

She had her cubicle rearranged so that she could fit a small playpen where a counter and file cabinet once were. The file cabinet moved across the cubicle. The stroller is parked in place of a chair.

On the counter above the new spot for the file cabinet is a Minnesota Vikings blanket and a colorful zebra dangling from a cabinet knob. Benjamin usually lays on the blanket, which is beside Gilbertson's computer.

"It's nice to look over," she said. "I don't miss his smiles or giggling."

A quick glance over the shoulder offers reassurance, letting parents get work done. Many of the parents feel if their children were off at daycare, they'd spend more time wondering about what their children were doing.

As cessation coordinator Michelle Walker's daughter, Norah, reached 6 months, she started easing her into daycare. Norah was ready, after socializing with Walker's co-workers and the other babies in the office.

"The transition was for me," Walker said. "I was so used to having her here."

But by six months, it was time for Norah to be around other children, she said. She started to feel guilty as Norah spent more time awake looking at her, Walker said.

Walker appreciated the opportunity to take her daughter to work. It lengthened the time she could bond with her. It wouldn't work for every job, though, she said.

Prior to coming to the health department, she had finished maternity leave for her son. At the job she left, she was a respiratory therapist, in which she visited patient's rooms. It would not have been possible to bring her child to work, given her responsibilities, she said.

The health department makes a similar evaluation of an employee's job responsibilities when an employee requests to bring their baby to work. Some positions that require extensive travel or involve a lot of work with the public would need careful consideration, Olson said. Accommodations would need to be made outside of work on travel days, for example, he said.

Since the program started 12 years ago, 42 babies have gone to work with Mom or Dad.

(Reach reporter Sara Kincaid at 250-8251 or sara.kincaid@;bismarcktribune.com.)