When the Barretts arrived at the Loews Hotel in San Diego, they found waiting in their suite a crib, baby swing and CD full of lullabies for their infant daughter. The gear was made available through the hotel's partnership with Fisher Price Inc., launched this year.

"When you have very young kids, they require a tremendous amount of gear you have to bring along," said Emily Goldfischer, a spokeswoman for the New York-based hotel chain. "Here, they have a place to leave an infant in a swing or a play pen — they don't have to worry about bringing all that along."

The hotel, which generates about half its sales through conventions, also contracts with a baby-sitting agency and serves baby food at its restaurants. At check in, teens get backpacks filled with a water bottle and brochures. Younger kids are given a toy.

At Walt Disney Parks and Resorts in Orlando, Fla., kids can even enjoy a mock banquet with Disney characters while their parents attend the grown-up version in an adjoining hall.

The company, which began dramatically expanding its convention business in the 1990s, now has six convention hotels at Disney World. That growth is being fueled by employees who increasingly see business trips as "opportunities to bring the family along," said George Aguel, senior vice president for Walt Disney Parks and Resorts.

"Everyone feels time-starved, and we're only continuing to see that growing," Aguel said.

Even Hyatt launched a kids' menu last year. Parents can also check kids into "Camp Hyatt," where children might make adobe art or go "coconut bowling," depending on the locale. The camp is often filled at the Hyatt resort just outside Austin, where many business conferences are held, said Scott Seed, a Hyatt Resorts spokesman.

Policies on bringing family on business trips vary from company to company, said Caleb Tiller, spokesman for the National Business Travel Association, based in Alexandria, Va.

Some companies encourage it — even helping find accommodations for the family — as a way to keep employees happy and productive.

Others might allow it, but require employees to sign waivers releasing the company from liability in case anyone is injured during the trip, Tiller said. Many smaller companies may not have policies.

But however welcoming and open a company may seem about family matters, it's always a good idea to let the boss know your plans ahead of time, said Peter Post, director of the Emily Post Institute and author of "Etiquette Advantage in Business."

"If you do it surreptitiously, and the boss hears about it — now all of a sudden you have to explain not only why you did it, but also why you didn't tell them," he said.

Setting boundaries between family and work on business trips is critical, Post said. Bringing a 7-year-old into the conference room, for example, is never a good idea.

For Kurt Barrett, bringing his daughter to San Diego was easy, since his wife could watch her while he attended work functions. The conference even provided tickets to Sea World and organized family friendly events like picnics and volleyball games.

The trip went so smoothly, the Barretts intend to bring their daughter along on Kurt's business trips as often as possible.

"It's a way to expose her to new experiences while keeping the family together," Kurt Barrett said.

And his wife, Deeanna Barrett, a 29-year-old part-time special education teacher, doesn't mind tagging along for the trips either.

"The next major conference is going to be in the Bahamas," she said. "I told him he needs to talk to the company about that one."