I think it made us more approachable than we might otherwise have been.  It was a conversation starter; we could hook in to the universality of being a mother and father. Of course, it didn't hurt that my daughter, at the time, was chubby enough to pass for any one of the frescoed cherubs fluttering about cathedral ceilings and walls. Shopkeepers bent down to pinch her cheeks: "Bellissima, bimba bella".  Old men greeted her at stop signs: "Faccia carina ..."   Others pointed us in the direction of diapers and baby food and any other items we might need. Our hotel in Rome set up a portable crib for her, and another mom and pop pensione in Montelpuciano pulled out the family high chair for her each morning while we ate our breakfast. The Italians, in general, were welcoming of families.No one looked askance at us when we took out baby to dinner. Our daughter destroys a breadstick into a million crumbs across the restaurant table?  - Not a problem.  The attitude we encountered while traveling with an infant in tow most often felt like: "Hey, great, you brought the baby!"

During pregnancy, we all worry about the things that we will miss about our pre-baby lives. For me one of these was definitely the ability to travel.  Our trip proved that, though the itinerary might change, traveling with children could be an opportunity to experience a country in a new way, see it through a new lens.