*Updated June 2026*
Being able to speak, read, write, and understand another language has always been something I’m proud of and it’s a gift I’ve worked hard to pass on to my own kids. Raising bilingual children isn’t always neat or by-the-book, though. Here’s what our journey has actually looked like, including the part where a well-meaning professional got it completely wrong.
Key Takeaways
- 22% of people in the U.S. age 5 and older speak a language other than English at home, and 61% of them speak Spanish ([U.S. Census Bureau](https://www.census.gov/newsroom/press-releases/2025/2017-2021-acs-language-use-tables.html), 2025).
- Research confirms that bilingualism does not cause language delay or confusion, even in children with autism spectrum disorder ([ASHA Bilingual Myth-Busters](https://pubs.asha.org/doi/abs/10.1044/cds20.1.5), 2024).
- There’s no single “right” method – OPOL, MLAH, and mixed approaches can all work depending on your family’s day-to-day life.
When our first son, Santana, was 18 months old, we enrolled him in a Spanish immersion preschool. He was surrounded by the Spanish language every day – the teachers were native speakers, and the kids picked it up through normal classroom activities and play. Early exposure was one of the best things we did for him.
At the time, our home language was English, but my husband was learning Spanish too. I was the only one speaking it at home, so we knew the immersion program would help fill that gap. I’d also just started listening to a bilingual parenting podcast, and honestly, I felt optimistic about where our son’s language development was headed.
What Is Bilingual Parenting?
Bilingual parenting means raising your kids to use two languages in everyday life, and it’s more common than you might think. In 2025, the U.S. Census Bureau reported that 22% of people in the U.S. age 5 and older speak a language other than English at home, and 61% of those households speak Spanish U.S. Census Bureau 2025. There are dozens of languages families choose, but for us, that second language is Spanish, my native tongue.
Does Speaking Two Languages Confuse a Baby?
No, it doesn’t. ASHA’s Bilingual Myth-Busters series confirms that learning two languages doesn’t cause language delay or confusion, even in children with autism spectrum disorder or other developmental differences. I really wish someone had told me that sooner.
Santana was nonspeaking until he was about 3.5 years old. When I started noticing he wasn’t talking, I got concerned it was one of the first signs that led us to get him evaluated for autism spectrum disorder. At the time, though, I was told his delay was because he was “confused” by learning a new language. I knew that wasn’t right.
A 2026 study in the Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research looked specifically at vocabulary development in bilingual autistic children and found their second-language input worked the same way it does for neurotypical bilingual kids. Santana’s delay wasn’t caused by Spanish. It was autism. And sometimes when young kids are learning two languages, they’ll mix up words here and there that’s just a normal part of how language development works, not a red flag.
What’s the Best Way to Teach Kids Both Languages Fluently?
A 2026 study published in the Journal of Child Language found that bilingual children reach early language milestones, like first words and first sentences, at the same age as monolingual children, especially when they get consistent, natural exposure to both languages. That tracks with my own experience.
One of the most important things I had to remember is that I was teaching my kids the same way anyone teaches their kids a first language: the way my parents taught me, by simply talking to them. I didn’t overthink it I just talked to them as much as possible. If I had to give one practical tip, it’s this: be consistent. For me, it wasn’t “teaching” in the traditional sense at all.
What’s the Best Way to Raise a Bilingual Child? 4 Methods to Try
If you’re worried your child mixing languages mid-sentence means they’re confused, here’s some good news: code-mixing, blending two languages in one sentence or conversation, is a normal, rule-governed part of bilingual development, not a sign of trouble. With that in mind, here are four approaches families use, including a couple we’ve tried ourselves.
OPOL (One Person, One Language):
Each parent speaks to the child in their own native language. This is popular in homes where only one parent speaks the second language. In our home, I spoke Spanish (my native tongue) and my husband spoke English.
MLAH (Minority Language at Home):
The family speaks the minority/target language at home and the majority language outside of it. This is popular with immigrant families Spanish in the home, English in the community.
This one didn’t work well for us. I ended up spending a lot of time translating everything for my husband, since he’s a non-native Spanish speaker, and I just couldn’t commit to it long-term.
The Context Method (Time and Place):
You speak a different language depending on the scenario – certain languages for certain settings, or certain days of the week. Some of the monolingual families at Santana’s immersion school did this: Spanish at school, English at home.
Mixed Language Method:
Frequent switching between languages, sometimes without even thinking about it. I do this a lot. Speaking Spanish used to come without any effort, but as I’ve gotten older, with fewer people around to speak it with, I sometimes forget words. That’s exactly why keeping a bilingual home matters to me.
Why a Bilingual Parenting Support System Matters
Community exposure matters just as much as what happens at home. In an NPR feature on raising bilingual kids, journalist Conz Preti described how her four-year-old son, raised with English from his dad and Spanish from her, spoke fluent Spanish with no hesitation when the family visited relatives in Argentina. That’s the kind of immersion I try to recreate for my own kids.
Teaching my kids Spanish is one of the ways I pass on my culture to them. Not having any of my mother’s family here in the U.S. has made that harder.
What’s helped most is building a community around it: I set up playdates with friends who also have bilingual kids, so ours would have peers to learn alongside. At home, I read to them in Spanish, talk to them, let them watch Spanish cartoons, and play Spanish music daily. We also lean on bilingual books and toys to keep reinforcing it, I’ve rounded up some of our favorites in this guide to bilingual toys for toddlers. I want my kids to feel at home in both languages, and I’m hopeful they’ll keep using Spanish as they get older.
“Bilingual parenting can be challenging. It requires commitment and consistency, but it helps us keep our strong sense of culture.”
If raising bilingual kids or even multilingual kids matters to you, start as early as you can, and figure out what method actually fits your family’s day-to-day life because this is something you have to commit to long term. Listening to bilingual parenting podcasts helped me a lot, and following other bilingual parenting moms and caregivers on social media has been a great source of advice and encouragement, too.
Are you trying bilingual parenting with your own kids? I’d love to hear what’s working for you, what hasn’t, or any tips you’d give another parent just starting out. Drop a comment below I read every one.
[…] has so many benefits and it gives them a connection to so many more of their family members. We are teaching our kids Spanish. However, they will know if they decide they don’t want to speak Spanish it doesn’t […]