Murphy recalls taking his baby to Lake Placid.

"A lot of people looked at you funny, but I ignored them."

John Bigelow of Willsboro had to care for "John Jr."

"Even just taking care of a kid with a key in its back takes a lot of work," he said. "You have to have a steady lifestyle and have a lot of money available."

At the end of his 24 hours, he felt "tired but happy that I accomplished it."

Willsboro's Brad Ball said his experiences with "Jacob" were "definitely a shocker. Oh, my God, it made you nervous. I didn't want to do it wrong. I don't want one this early."

He admitted having an attachment for the infant, but "it shows how much work it is."

Nathan Henrichs had tucked "Jim" in his car seat and was heading down the road when the infant decided to display its displeasure.

"I stuck the key in it, but it kept screaming. So I pulled the box out, but it still kept screaming."

About parenting, Henrichs said, "I noticed how hard it is. It's a lot tougher than you think. It made me not want to have kids."

"Joe Stalin" was the moniker applied to Wayne Feeley's infant for a day, perhaps based on his experience.

"The baby project is evil," Feeley said. "It cried every hour from 3 a.m. It was horrible. I fell asleep leaning against my locker at the end of the school day."

While he did admit to learning how to hold a child, he plans not to have kids "until way later."

LESSONS FOR LIFE

Though many of the boys had babysat for siblings or relatives, most had never had to care for an infant or mind youngsters for more than a few hours.