The 5 Most Common Myths (and Misconceptions) About Bilingual Kids

If you’ve ever told someone you’re raising your child with two (or more) languages, chances are you’ve been met with a concerned raised eyebrow or a flood of questionably “helpful” advice.

“Won’t they get confused?”
“Isn’t that too much for such a small baby?”
“Oh, my sister tried to raise her daughter bilingual but it caused a language delay so they stopped.”

Sound familiar? You’re definitely not alone. As a parent, you want to do the best for your baby (duhh), and when it comes to bilingualism, the myths floating around can feel overwhelming. 

Let’s bust a few of the biggest ones out there so you can approach your journey armed with facts instead of being full of fear.

Myth 1: Bilingual kids are confused if you mix languages

This one’s a classic. Parents hear their toddler mixing words from each language—like “I want más leche”—and panic that their biggest fear of confusing their child is coming true. 

But code-switching (the fancy word for mixing languages in between or within a sentence) is not confusion. It’s actually a sign of normal development, high-level language awareness and is a natural part of how bilingualism works.

Kids mix languages because they’re using every tool they have to get their point across. Just like a young monolingual child might say “dog” to refer to any 4-legged animal they don’t yet know how to name, a bilingual child will also use all their linguistic limited resources, which might include using words from different languages in the same sentence. 

Research shows that far from being confused, bilingual children are actually capable of differentiating their languages from a very young age (we’re talking the first months of life) and show ability to change languages based on their conversation partner at around age 2!

So if your toddler asks for “agua” while you’re speaking English, don’t stress. That’s a normal part of both language development AND normal bilingualism.

✨ If you’ve ever wondered if when your child switches is normal or whether their switching is “too much,” that’s where a 1:1 consultation with me might come in. We’ll take a look at your child’s specific situation with language switching and make sense of what’s going on, without the Google spiral of conflicting advice.

Myth 2: Bilingualism causes language delays

This one is frustratingly persistent, and I need it to calm down. Studies show—again and again—that bilingualism does not cause delays. Some bilingual kids may start speaking a little later than their monolingual peers, but it’s not because of the two languages. It’s natural variation in speech development (and spoiler: monolingual kids also vary a lot).

In fact, research shows bilingual kids hit the same developmental milestones as monolingual kids when it comes to speech and language. If there are any genuine concerns about speech delay, those would exist whether the child is raised with one language or two.  t’s also important to know that a true speech delay or disorder requires it to show up in BOTH languages. If a child is advanced, or hitting normal development milestones, in one language but not the other—it’s likely an issue of exposure and is not a true developmental delay.

And for the love of all things holy, dropping one language to support a bilingual child who is language delayed does not help with their language development (and honestly shame on the professionals that still recommend this).

Myth 3: Kids will just “pick it up”

Yes and no. Children are fantastic at learning languages, but the right type of exposure mixed with a genuine need to use the language is everything. If your child hears 90% English day in and day out, don’t expect them to magically start speaking your home language. Languages don’t sneak in through osmosis—they need consistent, sustained and substantial input.

Think of it like watering a plant. You can’t just water a tomato plant once and expect it to grow. You’ve got to keep showing up with the water and adapting the amount of water it needs at any given time. Languages are the same. Kids have an incredibly capacity for language development but so do adults. Kids need steady exposure and meaningful interaction in order to thrive in both (or all) of their languages it’s not just age.

Myth 4: One parent = one language is the only way to go

This “rule” floats around in parenting groups like gospel: one parent must only speak one language to the child, and never switch. While the one-parent-one-language (OPOL) approach can be effective, it’s not the only way and it’s also not that effective. 

Many families use flexible approaches—like minority language at home, or a time-and-place strategy—and raise perfectly successful bilingual children. What matters most is not sticking to some rigid formula, but choosing a strategy that works for your family’s lifestyle, routines, goals, and sanity. It’s about your child having consistent, varied, intentional, and sustained language exposure and that doesn’t come from a single person. OPOL can work but it also might not lead to sufficient target language exposure for your child to become bilingual. Use a strategy like OPOL to get started but be ready to go deeper.

And remember: the best language plan is the one you can actually keep up with. If you want more help making a language plan, check out this post.

Myth 5: Kids will reject the home language if they go to school in the majority language

This myth comes from a real fear mixed with some truth. Sending your child into a school where only English (or another majority language) is spoken will make them abandon the home language is enough to send any parent into a panic. And yes, school definitely increases exposure to the community language—but that doesn’t mean your home language has to vanish.

Children are capable of managing multiple languages, but they take their cues from you. If the home language is prioritized and woven into daily life—conversations, bedtime stories, family calls, cultural traditions—your child will see it as a valuable part of who they are. One of the main reasons that children stop speaking the target language is that their exposure to the target language decreases not just because they’re at school, with friends, but also because parents stop speaking as much of the target language with them.

Will they sometimes push back, especially as they get older and more dominant in the community language? Sure. But rejection doesn’t mean it’s gone forever and push back doesn’t mean bilingualism is over. With consistency, patience, and support, kids can and do maintain strong skills in both.

Wrapping up the myths

Bilingualism isn’t confusing, it doesn’t cause delays, and no, your child isn’t going to “just pick it up” without substantial effort on your part (and eventually, theirs!). The fact is that raising a bilingual child through to becoming a bilingual adult takes intentionality, flexibility, and insane amount of commitment. It’s an incredibly rewarding and worthwhile journey, but one that needs to be approached with cautious optimism and armed with knowledge.

Want to dive deeper into creating a plan that actually works for your family? Check out my blog on Family Language Planning 101 (a total game-changer for mapping out your goals). And if you want more myth-busting, I’ve got you covered in my post on Raising a Bilingual Child—What You Need to Know.

Or, if you’re expecting or parenting a baby under 8 months, grab a spot in my Bilingual Baby Masterclass. It’ll help you skip the outdated advice and set up the foundations of bilingualism from day one.

You don’t need to follow every rule in the book, you just need the right support and strategies that fit your life.

And be sure to let me know what other myths you’ve heard raising bilingual kids below!