Q: Is it normal for my bilingual toddler to say 'vroom vroom' instead of 'car' and struggle with certain sounds?

This post is a dramatization of a question and answer session experienced by our actual medical reviewers.

Q:

Hi everyone, I'm hoping for some advice about my stepson who's turning 3 this month. His dad speaks Spanish to him and I speak English, so he's growing up bilingual.

My main worry is his speech. He understands Spanish pretty well, but mostly responds in English. He's not really forming complete words yet. For example, he'll say 'vroom vroom' for cars and 'meow' for cats, and if we try to get him to say 'car' or 'gato', he just won't. A lot of his words are still half-words or sound like mumbling, and he has a tough time with sounds like F, C, and S. I know all kids are different, but is this a normal developmental stage for a bilingual toddler?

For some context, his living situation has been a bit unstable, and we think it might be causing a delay. We've had him with us more consistently lately and have cut way back on screen time. Since then, we've seen huge progress in his communication! We're talking to him constantly and trying to support his independence. What should we expect for his age, and are there any tips on how we can help him pronounce words more clearly? Any advice would be so appreciated!

A:

Hey, the 'vroom vroom' instead of 'car' thing? Totally normal stage for his age. Honestly, the other stuff you mentioned – like the half-words or specific sounds he finds tricky (F/C/S are common!) – is well within the normal range even for monolingual kids his age.

And yeah, it's really common for bilingual kids to understand one language (like Spanish for him) way better than they speak it initially. My wife is bilingual (English/Korean) and even living around both languages, I'd tell you keeping them perfectly equal is super hard. One language usually ends up being stronger or preferred for certain things. So don't worry if his Spanish and English aren't developing at the exact same pace or strength.

When he says 'vroom vroom,' you can just gently model the word, like "Yes, the car goes vroom!" – no need to pressure him to say 'car' right now. Helps him hear it without stress.

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