Ask a Bored Housewife: The Social Life of Babies

I just reached into the ol' mailbag and pulled out this missive:

Dear fellow bored housewives,

I am the mother of a reasonably happy, 5-month-old baby girl. I stay at home with her, and we do a fair job of getting out and about, even in the chilly Chicago winter. I'd love to hear your opinions, though, on "socializing" babies. How often do your babies see other babies? Is there an observable difference between social and (anti-? a-? non-?) social babies? Do you think pre-school is the appropriate place to make the transition to social creature, or should steps be taken before that?

Gwen is our first baby and the first born among all of our clinging-to-urban-hipster-life friends, and our families are several hundred miles away, so we don't have a readily available baby-socializing circle. We do go to a music class for babies every Friday at the Old Town School of Folk Music, which is fun, but more so for me, I think. So, whatever thoughts, anecdotes, opinions, etc. you'd care to share, I'd love to read.

Thanks so much,
Longtime Reader, First-Time Questioner

I reckon everyone will have something to say about this one. I'm especially looking forward to hearing from the BHNers who have older kids. Is socialization of babies under two really necessary?

Keep the great questions coming, folks. Just email us... and remember, no question too big, too small, or too goofy.