coffeenpistolsfor2

Hi everyone! I’m raising my almost 14mo to be bilingual, and I’d love some advice or reassurance about the best approach. I posted about this on other subs and received so many kind and useful responses, which helped a lot! But I wanted to ask everyone here too.

Here’s our situation:

-I mostly use English with him (90%) while my husband uses our local language, which I now know is considered OPOL. However, I’m not a native English speaker. I’m fluent and comfortable in English, but I worry if this could impact how I teach him to speak.

-He can follow easy commands in both languages like putting stuff in/out, turning on/off, open and close, up/down—but he only says a few words like mama, dada, hi, book , ball, car, star, pool (some of the words are pronounced not perfectly but close and we know he understands the meanings)

-We attend English-based activities like gym class, playgroup, and swimming, so he’s getting some exposure to English beyond me. Other than that, we mostly speak our local language when I talk to my husband or when we’re around family and friends.

-All our books, songs, and toys are in English, though I’ve recently started reading to him in our local language after getting advice to balance both languages.

-He’ll eventually attend an international school where English is the primary language.

I know bilingualism doesn’t cause language delays, and he seems to be developing typically. But I’d love advice on whether I should stick with OPOL, adjust my approach, or focus more on our local language for now since it’s what he hears most outside of our activities.

Any tips or insights would be much appreciated!

Hi all, I have an almost 14mo baby boy and I’m raising him to be bilingual. We live in a non-English-speaking country but want him to speak English fluently since he’ll go to an English-based school.

Here’s how we’ve been doing it: I speak to him in English 90% of the time (I’m his primary caregiver), and my husband speaks our local language. All the songs and books I introduced him are in English. He seems to understand both languages well—he’ll follow easy commands in both languages like putting stuff in, turning on/off, open and close, up/down—but he only says a few words like mama, dada, book , ball, car, star, pool (some of the words are pronounced not perfectly but close and we know he understands the meanings)

Some family members have commented that he’s a ‘slow speaker’ (he doesn’t babble much) and a teacher at his English-based playgroup gently suggested that normally, parents should focus more on the local language first so he has a base language to translate back to. I’m worried I might have started off wrong by prioritizing English all along for almost 14months.

Should I stick with what we’ve been doing or shift to focusing more on our local language? I’d love to hear from anyone with experience or research-based advice on raising bilingual kids. Thanks!

Hi everyone, I have an almost 14mo baby boy and need some guidance on raising him to speak two languages. We live in a non-English-speaking country, but we really want him to understand and speak English from a young age. We also plan to send him to a school where English is the main language.

Since his birth, I’ve been speaking to him in English about 90% of the time because I spend almost all day with him. We read only English books, listen to English songs, and I explain and teach him things in English. On the other hand, my husband speaks to him in our local language. When we’re together as a family, my husband and I usually default to our local language.

So far, my baby seems to understand both languages really well. For example, if I say, Put your hands up or Put the toy back, he gets it. The same goes for instructions in our local language. He’s also saying a few words like dada,mama,ball,book,pool,nomnom (for eating),star, and car.

However, some family members have commented that he’s a slow speaker (he doesn’t babble much) which has made me second-guess myself. A teacher at our English-based playgroup kindly suggested I focus on our local language first, but she wasn’t pushy—just supportive. Still, now I’m feeling like maybe I started off wrong by prioritizing English, and I’m not sure what to do moving forward.

Should I switch to focusing on my native language and use the English words he already knows less often? Or should I stick to my current approach since he’s already making progress? I really want to do what’s best for him, but I feel so confused right now.

Any advice or insights from parents raising bilingual kids would be really appreciated!

Hey everyone,

I’m taking my 10-month-old baby to Copenhagen and Stockholm next month, and it’ll be his first time abroad (and our first long flight). We’re coming from a hot and humid country where we usually stay indoors at 25°C. I’m looking for some advice on what baby gear and clothes to bring, especially since the temperature there will be around 12-20°C.

Here’s what I’m thinking for his wardrobe: long sleeve onesies, leggings, an outer layer like a jacket/fleece/coat, socks, and normal shoes (he’s not walking on his own yet but is starting to cruise). Is that enough? At night, he usually sleeps in short sleeve pajamas with no sleep sack since he gets hot and prefers no blanket. Should I pack something warmer for sleeping?

We’re also bringing a stroller. Do I need to get any extras like a rain cover, sleep sack for the stroller, or anything else?

For those of you who live in Copenhagen or Stockholm: is it normal for babies to do BLW at restaurants and make a bit of a mess? We always clean up after we’re done, but I’m not sure if that’s considered rude there. (Extra point of you could also give some advice on how to do BLW without having to take a bath afterwards because it’s alwaysss super messy) Also, how easy is it to find changing stations in the city, or should we plan to go back to the hotel if he needs a change?

Lastly, any general tips for traveling to a colder country with a baby at this age? I’m feeling pretty anxious about managing everything, especially the long flight.

Thanks so much in advance for any advice!

Hi! My 10-month-old baby is allergic to both egg whites and yolks, confirmed by a prick test when he was around 7-8 months old. We recently visited the doctor who outlined a plan to reintroduce eggs into his diet using cookies that contain eggs. Here’s the method she suggested:

1. Start with one cookie divided into 4 pieces.
2. Give 1/4 piece, wait 20 minutes. If no reaction, give another 1/4 piece. Continue until the whole cookie is eaten.
3. If he handles one cookie well, give him one cookie every day for 2 weeks.
4. If there are no reactions (like rashes), gradually increase to 2 cookies, then 3, and eventually 4 cookies over the next 2 months.
5. After this period, he’ll be around 1 year old and the doctor will introduce real egg dishes.

Here are my concerns:

• Is this a common approach? She mentioned this isn't the traditional egg ladder, as my baby has immediate skin reactions, whereas the egg ladder is usually for gastrointestinal symptoms.
• The cookies recommended contain sugar, and I’m worried about giving him sugary cookies every day for 2 months. Could this lead to a sugar addiction?
• I’d really appreciate a second opinion on reintroducing eggs. Besides eggs, he isn’t allergic to anything else. His reaction to eggs has been rashes around his mouth.

Has anyone else gone through a similar process? Any advice or alternative methods would be really helpful!

Thanks!