Need Help with setting boundaries

My wife (33F) and I (35M) have been married since 2021 and have a baby who just turned 1! As anyone who becomes new parents knows, life becomes VERY busy after your first baby and it’s hard to make plans.

For the last few years and even before we were married, my wife and I would play scrabble with a neighbor I grew up with who has special needs. He’s a few years younger than me. My wife and I bought my childhood home when we got married, so I’ve known this neighbor since I was a child.

Our neighbor loves playing scrabble and asks if we’re available very often. Even before our baby arrived, our lives were pretty busy. Lately, he’s been texting us pretty much every week, a few times a week. I’ve told him many times, we really don’t have much time and our schedules are pretty unpredictable right now with a baby. We’ve tried setting boundaries with him, but he really doesn’t seem to understand. Boundaries go right over his head. He simply doesn’t understand how busy and how much life changes when you become a parent.

His texts asking if we’re available are getting really incessant and it feels like boarder line harassment. The last thing we want to do is make him feel rejected or upset, but I really don’t know what to do. I have thought about talking to his parents. His dad has been friends with my dad for a long time. Any advice for a situation like this? Has anyone dealt with anything similar? Let me know if more context is needed or if anything needs to be clarified. Thanks everyone!