Reading to your baby in your home language

If you speak another language at home, or more than one, you might wonder whether to use it with your baby, or switch to English. UK guidance is clear: use the language you know best.^1,2

Your baby has been tuning in to it since before they were born. In a study of 80 newborns in Sweden and the US, babies a day or two old already reacted differently to vowel sounds from a language they hadn’t heard in the womb.³

Should I read to my baby in my own language?

Yes. The NHS says it’s important to chat with your child in the language or languages you speak at home, in whatever language feels comfortable to you. If one parent uses one language and the other parent another, it says children adapt to this very well.^4,2 The National Literacy Trust says knowing their home language well will make it easier for your child to learn English too.¹

There’s a good reason not to swap to English you’re less sure of. In a small study of 29 Spanish–English bilingual 2-year-olds in Florida, children who heard more of their English from native speakers, and from more different people, knew more English words. The researchers suggest that asking parents to give up their own language for one they don’t know well may be bad advice.⁵ Nursery, friends and family can help with the English.

Will two languages confuse my baby or make them late to talk?

No. The Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists says bilingualism does not cause or contribute to speech and language difficulties.⁶ Researchers who reviewed the evidence for parents say bilingual children are no more likely to have language delays, and that babies can tell some languages apart from birth.⁷

What looks like a delay is often words shared between two languages. In a study of 47 bilingual and 56 English-only toddlers from similar, well-off families in Florida, the bilingual children knew fewer words in each language, but about the same number when both were added together.⁸ In a later study of 112 children from Spanish-speaking homes, they were 6 months to a year behind in English words between 2½ and 5. The researchers say a lag like this may not be a real delay if the child also knows words in their home language.⁹ These were all US studies of Spanish–English families, so they can’t speak for every family. In them, how much children heard each language was linked with how well they knew it.^8,5

Mixing both languages in one sentence is normal. Bilingual adults do it too.^10,7 And you don’t need strict rules like “one parent, one language”. It can work, but it isn’t necessary: what matters is that your baby hears plenty of each language, from people talking with them.⁷

What if we don’t have many books in our language?

• Any picture book will do. Look at the pictures together and talk about them in your own words.¹ You can tell any of our stories in your language as you go.
• Ask at your library. It may have dual language books to borrow.¹
• Free guides in other languages. BookTrust’s guide to reading with your baby comes in 25 languages, and in Wales the free Bookstart Baby pack is bilingual.¹¹ Words for Life, from the National Literacy Trust, has resources to read and listen to in 19 languages.¹

Try this

• Sing the songs you grew up with. The National Literacy Trust suggests songs and rhymes in the language you know best.¹ In a lab study of 144 US babies, unfamiliar lullabies from other cultures helped them relax.¹² More on singing to your baby.
• Chat through the day. Talk about what you’re doing, the sounds you hear and what your little one notices.¹
• Answer English with your language. If your toddler says a word in English, say it back in your language.¹
• Bring in more voices. Ask grandparents and friends to talk and sing to your baby in your language too. In the Florida study, children who heard Spanish from more people knew more Spanish words.⁵
• Keep it going. Home languages are easier to lose than the language children hear at school, so carry on as your child grows.⁷

If you’re worried

Children learn to talk at different ages. If you’re worried about your child’s talking, speak to your health visitor or GP. You can also contact your local speech and language therapy service yourself.^2,4

Tell them about every language your child hears, and the words they know in each. A bilingual child with a real speech or language difficulty will have it in all their languages, not just English.¹⁰ If you’re told to switch to English only, ask a speech and language therapist first: the RCSLT says bilingualism is an advantage even for children who do have a speech or language difficulty.⁶