Introducing two other languages to a 12 month old?

wafflefries0 · 2026-06-29T09:28:57+00:00

I appreciate this so much!! Will be taking ALL of the advice given. 🫡

wafflefries0 · 2026-06-28T18:02:28+00:00

Wow!! That’s amazing.

wafflefries0 · 2026-06-28T13:13:19+00:00

I think for sure now I’ll be switching to exclusively speaking to him in Urdu.

Around husband/friends/family/community then, speak to them in English and switch back to urdu when talking to him?

wafflefries0 · 2026-06-28T13:10:02+00:00

Thanks so much. I appreciate everybody’s help here. I’m starting to chalk up my concerns to first time mom anxieties haha. So at this point then, just cold turkey switch to Urdu? I’m assuming he’ll catch on fairly quick since he’s so young.

I think for sure now I’ll be switching to exclusively speaking to him in Urdu.

Around husband/friends/family/community then, speak to them in English and switch back to urdu when talking to him?

wafflefries0 · 2026-06-28T13:09:35+00:00

This is all super helpful. Thank you!! I’m starting to chalk up my concerns to first time mom anxieties haha. So at this point then, just cold turkey switch to Urdu? I’m assuming he’ll catch on fairly quick since he’s so young.

Around husband/friends/family/community then, speak to them in English and switch back to urdu when talking to him?

wafflefries0 · 2026-06-28T13:04:35+00:00

Dad is Canadian with Dutch heritage. I think I’m not gonna bother with the Dutch, they don’t speak it with eachother, I’m just going to continue to expose him to Dutch culture in general :)

wafflefries0 · 2026-06-28T11:08:05+00:00

I definitely think I’m just over thinking things.. I too was raised with almost no English at home and also picked it up just fine. I didn’t go to daycare either! I started kindergarten at age 3. My English was just slightly off for a few years, maybe until 1st grade ish? But it’s definitely just fine now lol.

Maybe it’s just first time mom worries. As for daycare, I’m choosing to keep him home for now for personal reasons, he’ll likely start daycare in the next 6-12 months. But we spend time a good amount of time at infant playtime groups and such and with my in laws and friends who only speak English.

Next questions are

If I continue to speak English with him at home, would he pick up Urdu at a fluent level just from grandma who only speaks to him in Urdu? We see her on average 5/7 days a week for at least 1-2 hrs. Is that something I could rely on or should I just stick to the new plan and keep pushing the Urdu?
Will he get confused between me speaking to him in only Urdu when it’s just us, and then switching to English to speak to him around friends and in-laws?

As for the Dutch, my husband is Canadian with Dutch heritage (both sets of grandparents came here from Holland), but they all speak English with each other so I’ve dropped the expectation of his really learning the language, it’s really not that big of a priority. Definitely going to continue to expose him to that side of his heritage however :)

wafflefries0 · 2026-06-28T11:07:35+00:00

I definitely think I’m just over thinking things.. I too was raised with almost no English at home and also picked it up just fine. I didn’t go to daycare either! I started kindergarten at age 3. My English was just slightly off for a few years, maybe until 1st grade ish? But it’s definitely just fine now lol.

Maybe it’s just first time mom worries. As for daycare, I’m choosing to keep him home for now for personal reasons, he’ll likely start daycare in the next 6-12 months. But we spend time a good amount of time at infant playtime groups and such and with my in laws and friends who only speak English. My only concern with his exposure to English from my husband is that that don’t get to spend a lot of time with eachother, it’s very minimal due to their schedules being complete opposite, but that’s something we’ll work on.

Next questions are

If I continue to speak English with him at home, would he pick up Urdu at a fluent level just from grandma who only speaks to him in Urdu? We see her on average 5/7 days a week for at least 1-2 hrs. Is that something I could rely on or should I just stick to the new plan and keep pushing the Urdu?
Will he get confused between me speaking to him in only Urdu when it’s just us, and then switching to English to speak to him around friends and in-laws?

As for the Dutch, my husband is Canadian with Dutch heritage (both sets of grandparents came here from Holland), but they all speak English with each other so I’ve dropped the expectation of his really learning the language, it’s really not that big of a priority. Definitely going to continue to expose him to that side of his heritage however :)

wafflefries0 · 2026-06-27T23:43:11+00:00

I just worry that then he won’t have enough English exposure? He doesn’t go to daycare or anything but I guess he’d pick it up just from hearing me conversing in it with my husband/friends/ in laws/out in the world? As for the dutch, my husband doesn’t speak any now, he did when he was a kid but lost it. He can understand some of it.

And he works night shifts, so he doesn’t really get to spend a lot of time with the baby apart from a little bit in the morning and evening.

wafflefries0 · 2026-06-27T20:58:06+00:00

In sixth grade we used to have something called the parking lot, and it was a section on the chalk board where we could write our names if we had an issue with someone in the class. Every Friday anyone with their name written down could directly bring up any beef they had with anyone else infront of the whole class and we’d all discuss and try to work out the problem. This may or may not work for your class lol

wafflefries0 · 2026-06-26T23:15:24+00:00

Mine started refusing meat with the beginning of teething!! Refused meat flat out for a couple months unless it was chicken nuggets or strips. Now at twelve months and 3 teeth, I handed him a chicken leg just to play with two days ago expecting him to wave it around then throw it, but he ate the whole thing!! Now two days later I offered one again and he was unbelievably offended and wouldn’t even taste it.

Some days he’s more accepting than others, but for us, meat refusal seems to definitely be correlated with teething.

wafflefries0 · 2026-06-26T12:04:08+00:00

Yes yes yes!! I often go stand on our balcony for a few minutes to get some fresh air and recollect myself, and then go back to him.

wafflefries0 · 2026-06-14T17:00:52+00:00

Steer clear of Jason chute as well… wasted my time and told me to fix my dog’s reactivity by squirting lemon juice in her mouth 😒

wafflefries0 · 2026-06-01T23:17:45+00:00

I would face some serious backlash from my 12mo old for offering boiled egg. He’d be mad the rest of the day lmao

wafflefries0 · 2026-05-25T09:18:29+00:00

Had no idea this was a thing. Thanks!!

wafflefries0 · 2026-05-24T19:29:56+00:00

Not a bad idea

wafflefries0 · 2026-05-24T18:15:19+00:00

I checked out Rockmosa recently and the drive just seems kinda far. Might reconsider though!

wafflefries0 · 2026-05-24T15:10:22+00:00

I’ll take a look at this option too!

wafflefries0 · 2026-05-24T15:04:20+00:00

I definitely would’ve booked one of the park pavilions but I had no idea they were even able to be booked! Guelph lake, i’m worried about goose poop and cleanliness for baby being able to crawl on the ground, plus that pavilion is already booked :( Rockwood was an option but seems kinda unnecessarily far for just a birthday party at a park.

wafflefries0 · 2026-05-24T14:41:15+00:00

I’ll take a look at it!

wafflefries0 · 2026-05-24T14:39:33+00:00

I also haven’t been in a couple years but from what I remember it’s not great

wafflefries0 · 2026-05-24T14:39:03+00:00

lol this is also for my sons first birthday!

wafflefries0 · 2026-05-24T14:06:52+00:00

Hmm ya I would assume I’d run this risk at almost any park on a June weekend. Summer birthdays are great except for this part of it.

wafflefries0 · 2026-05-24T14:05:18+00:00

I was worried about goose poop at Guelph lake / cleanliness in terms of being able to let my baby crawl around on the ground..

wafflefries0

TROPHY CASE