If you’re following along in my baby game journey, then your infant is nearly 2 months old (!) and finally getting his or her crucial first dose of vaccines. This means it’s safer to play with other young children, so it’s time to meet some new faces!

If you haven’t done so already, it’s the perfect time to introduce cousins or host playdates with friends of the family, or invite over some of a big sibling’s buddies.

No need to do anything special (although we combined one playdate with a cookie swap!); babies love watching older kids, and older kids will love sitting near baby, perhaps stroking an arm.

Veronika has been taking long daytime naps lately, but she was absolutely entranced watching big kids run around the living room, which kept her wide awake.

She watched from her swing for over an hour without a single fuss!

Big kids are so cool!

If an older child wants a special role, you can definitely help make them feel useful. They’re great at handing over a clean diaper, wipes, or simply talking to baby during a change.