Question for bilingual nannies

[Anonymous]

We sought out a bilingual nanny and asked in the interview if she would speak to our DD in French, her native language. But after working from home on some occasions and hearing the two interact, it seems our nanny is only speaking English. Since her English is not great, this means a lot of "baby talk" and short sentences. I've purchased some French books and CDs with french songs, which helps a bit. I'll continue to push it with the nanny, but I wonder if there are other factors I'm not considering. Might there be some reasons why she feels more comfortable in English? Are there other things I can do to help facilitate more French speaking? It's possible that as soon as I leave she starts in on the French - maybe she wants to make sure I understand how she interacts with DD (I have zero french skills). But I get the sense (from coming home early, for instance, and hearing the nanny before she sees I've arrived) that's not the case.

[Anonymous]

Nope. Our manny is bilingual. He speaks French to DD and English to us. Sometimes if the three of us are talking together he'll accidentally say half a sentence in French to me, or English to her, but he switches right back as soon as he realizes. I think when he hosts playdates with other kids and is speaking to both he'll use English, but if he's telling DD to share or wait her turn or something he'll say it in French.

[Anonymous]

We have a bilingual nanny who speaks to our 2 year old son exclusively in Spanish. She started with us when he was 1.5 years old and he was confused at first but within 3 months he understood most of what she said and now he can say about 100 words in Spanish. I've worked from home at times and have verified that the nanny only speaks Spanish with our children. The whole "Spanish emersion" thing was the nanny's idea and it's worked out well. I don't speak Spanish at all so I have no idea what our boy is saying sometimes but I get a kick out of it. It seems like your nanny is taking the easy road by speaking the language your child is already comfortable with. You may need to insist that she sticks with French.

[Anonymous]

I also had this problem and decided it wasn't worth it to continue to press for a nanny to speak French. I had to separate nannies and I asked for them to speak to DD in French only. Now, in their defense, my DD was 4, and had only a private lesson of an hour once a week for six months prior. So, she did not have very many French skills. She's also very strong willed and was resistant in her French class. So, I'm thinking this was the problem. The nannies got worn down and just gave up. How old is your baby? I think this makes the difference. When I asked the nannies why they switched to English, it was because they felt weird speaking to an English-speaking child in French, like it was forced. I've had two different people tell me this, so I know it's not just their fault. Anyways, I gave up on that. What we do now is DD goes to a French playgroup and a group lesson twice per week. Once she starts first grade I'll get a French nanny again. DD will be old enough to not be so resistant. GL, OP!

[Anonymous]

OP here. My DC is little and pre-verbal. So it's not like she is going to start speaking fluent French any day now. But I would like her to hear a lot of different words and sounds, be it in English or French -- and right now I feel like she's not getting a good exposure to either. At the same time, as I have only one language, I don't want to make assumptions about what's reasonable/easy for the nanny.

So it's not make or break, and it's nothing that threatens my child's well-being. It's just the frustration of asking/planning for something and not being able to see it executed.

The nanny and I are due for a catch up, so I'm going to ask her why she chooses English over French and reiterate my desire for her to speak French during the day. We'll see where that gets us.

[Anonymous]

OP, have you told your nanny in terms that are absolutely clear, with zero room for confusion, that you expect her to speak French to the child, and that her language ability is in fact why you picked her? Does she know what is expected of her? If you didn't, she may think that you prefer her to speak English because you are in an English-speaking country.

So what you do is you sit down with her and say, nanny, I expect you to speak French, and French only with the baby at all times. Do not entertain any excuses. If you wish, you may prepare thoughtful answer to any possible objections (but what if she doesn't learn English...but what if we are around other people), but make it crystal clear beyond doubt to your nanny that speaking French to the child is a condition of her employment. Tell her there is no reason to hire her if she doesn't do that. Is she a native French speaker? How good is her French anyway, is it natural for her to speak French or is it a forced thing?

Anyway, stop apologizing for your choices. You want a nanny who will speak French to your child. Get the nanny to speak French or hire another nanny who will. If you were buying a pair of black pants at Macy's, would you be standing here trying to talk yourself into believing that a pair of yellow pants is really black?

[Anonymous]

OP, maybe you could see if there are any other french speaking nannies in your neighborhood. Our nanny (spanish speaking) just recently met another spanish speaking nanny who works nearby and they've started getting the kids together. I'm hopeful that will increase the amount of truly conversational spanish my kids are exposed to.