My grandson wants to hold his newborn cousin at the naming function. He is eight

My niece's baby is about six weeks old, and the naming ceremony is at a function hall near us next weekend. My grandson has been asking for days whether he will be allowed to hold the baby. He has practised on a cushion. I would like him to have his turn. My niece is a first-time mother and quite anxious, and with fifty relatives in one hall I can see it going badly for both of them if it is not planned. How have other families given an older child a proper turn without making the baby's mother uneasy?