Veronika is nearly 11 months old (!), an age when babies love to imitate the big people in their lives. So today, at various points throughout the day, I let her be my little helper.

First, she loves to grab the cloth when I clean up her highchair tray after a meal. Once the initial messy mess is gone, I let her use the cloth to continue to “clean” the tray. What a helper!

Veronika also loves to “mother” her dollie. So after a diaper change, I gave her an extra diaper and let her take care of baby.

She looked so proud of herself! This version of the game is great fun on a teddy bear, too.

Finally, now is a great time to get little ones actively involved in clean-up. As I sort books or toys into bins and boxes, Veronika gets to help out. Don’t expect your baby to get it just right, but by starting to mirror your actions, little ones feel like big important people, too!