Bilingual current/future parents out there?

Question

Anyone else planning to speak two languages at home? Curious for thoughts and experiences. 
Only part that has me a little confused is what about when we’re at GMA and GPAs house on either side, then hubby and I BOTH have to speak German or English (because they only understand one or the other and don’t want to be rude). Will this get too confusing for baby?
Also any good resources on the topic you’ve found!

Answer

I’m in no way an expert but I feel it would be great for your baby! Babies develop language early and the earlier you impress different languages on them the easier it will be for them to pick it up...my SO is Filipino and his family speaks Tagolog, I wish they lived near us so our daughter could benefit from learning both 💜✨💜

Answer

I’m not bilingual but I nannied for a family that was. They just spoke both interchangeably. and when her family visited they just spoke her language. The babies were completely fluent in both!

Answer

Both my husband and I are bilingual. He speaks Spanish and English, I speak Italian and English. But him and I have decided that he is gonna be the one to pass on the language starting at birth since we are around the Mexican side a lot more often then the Italian side. And I will teach Italian later on. 
My husband is already only speaking Spanish around the house so he can get used to it again before baby comes and so I can learn more as well.

Answer

I think bilingual children are kickass but its not for every child. We were living with my in laws (Filipino's who spoke ilocano, tagalog, and a little English) and i was the only one who speaks only english and my son didnt start talking until we moved when he turned 2. He was really confused. But he's learning the language now that hes 5.

Answer

I’m curious how others have handled this as well. My fiancé and I decided that I will only speak Spanish to our son so he grows up speaking both languages (my fiancé does not speak Spanish).  None of our friends speak Spanish and my family is not close by so I’m hoping just me speaking it with him will be enough. Also wondering how people handled being with the non language speaking family and social settings.

Answer

I think the grandparent thing will be easier than you think. And the grandparents will appreciate you speaking their native language to your child in front of them. To me that is a great sign of respect and deference. It will just come to be expected that one house speaks one language and the other speaks another. And your child won’t know any different, the distinction may actually be helpful as their language develops.

Answer

When I taught preschool we had a few children whose families would speak 2 languages. The only times that I saw issues was when parents would speak both languages in one sentence. Like start out speaking 1 and switch back and forth. It was easier for the kiddo to use 1 per conversation. But I feel in the long run it will be very beneficial for the kiddo as language is best learned from a young age.

Answer

My daughter is 2 and from the second she was born my husband has only spoken Dutch to her. I speak English but understand Dutch so a lot of times he speaks to me in Dutch as well and I reply in English. He does it no matter where we are. She has never been confused and as about equal amount of words in both languages. She seems to have realized that my parents don't speak Dutch and typically only speaks English to them. But once they hit 3/3.5 they realize they speak 2 languages and will be able to flip flop easier. Sometimes her sentences right now are a mix but that's normal! Start from Day 1! It's amazing what their brains can do!

Answer

I am bilingual and my husband is not. My parents don’t speak any English. So when the baby is born I do plan on teaching the baby my native language that way the baby can always communicate with grandparents and my side of family. And hopefully my husband will pick up some words from the baby 😂

Answer

I only speak English and my husband speaks Hindi! I told him to talk to the baby only in Hindi!

Bilingual current/future parents out there?

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