A nanny who speaks your child's second language, consistently and several afternoons a week, is one of the most effective ways of keeping that language alive. The rule is one person, one language: the nanny does not switch to Swedish when it gets hard. Expect the child to understand quickly and speak more after a few months, but do not expect fluency in a language nobody else in daily life uses.
It is half past four on a Thursday in a flat on Södermalm. The mother is from Chile, the father from Umeå, and the five-year-old answers in Swedish when her mother asks in Spanish. It is a common situation in Stockholm: one language takes over, the one spoken at förskola (municipal preschool, from age one), by friends and on TV. The other language shrinks, and the parent who carries it is left alone with it. This is where a nanny in the right language makes a difference.
Why the second language loses
Children learn language out of need and through relationships. Swedish is needed at preschool, in the courtyard, at birthday parties. The other language is only needed with one parent, and that parent understands Swedish too. So the child answers in Swedish, and the parent lets it pass because it is Friday and everyone is tired. Nobody is doing anything wrong. But the language withers from it.
A nanny who speaks the second language changes the equation in a simple way: there is one more person the child likes who speaks the language. There are more hours. And it is a person who is not a tired parent at the dinner table but someone who has the whole afternoon for play, books and talk.
What actually works
- One person, one language. The nanny speaks her language with the child the whole time, even when the child answers in Swedish. She understands the answer, replies in her language and moves on. No nagging about speaking the right language.
- Regularity. Two or three afternoons a week, the same person. Once a month gives nothing.
- Play, not lessons. The language comes in through what the child wants to do: building, cooking, drawing, playing shop. The nanny talks about what is happening, puts words to things, reads books in the language.
- Books and songs in the language. Ask relatives to send children's books. The nanny reads the same book ten times, and the tenth time the child knows it.
- Correct by repeating correctly. If the child gets something wrong, the nanny answers with the right form in her own sentence. No pointing out mistakes.
- Let go of prestige. The child will mix the languages. It is normal and it passes.
What to expect, by age
| Child's age | What usually happens | What takes more effort |
|---|---|---|
| 0 to 2 years | The child learns to understand the language as one of their own, without noticing | Nothing, this is the easiest age |
| 2 to 4 years | Understands everything, starts answering the nanny in the language, mixes words | Patience when the child answers in Swedish |
| 4 to 6 years | Talks to the nanny in the language if she is consistent, may start to feel embarrassed about it in front of friends | Letting the language be something fun, not a demand |
| 7 to 12 years | Can lose the language quickly if it is not used, can also catch up quickly with the right person | Reading in the language, contact with relatives, ideally homework help in the language |
When nobody in the family speaks the language
Sometimes families want the nanny to speak a language nobody at home knows, usually English, sometimes Spanish. It works, but with a limitation: a language used by only one person for a few hours a week rarely becomes a language the child speaks fluently. The child learns to understand, learns songs, words and everyday phrases and gets a foundation that makes it easy to pick up later at school. That is worth a lot. But be honest with yourselves about the goal: a good foundation, not a second mother tongue. More on how children handle several languages in Multilingual children.
What does not work
- The nanny switches to Swedish when it gets hard. Then the child learns that Swedish always works and that the other language is optional.
- The language becomes a demand. Children who are told they must speak the right language stop talking. Those who may speak whatever they like, with someone who always answers in the language, start using it themselves.
- Too few hours. One hour a week is enough to keep in touch with the language, not to develop it.
- Changing nanny. Children tie languages to people. If the person changes often, the language loses its footing.
How we match languages
All our nannies speak Swedish and English. Aleksandra speaks Bulgarian, Denise Spanish, Doaa Arabic. If you want a specific language, say so at the free first meeting at your home, and we match accordingly. If we do not have the language you are looking for, we say so. Specific requests about language, age or experience can affect the price, in which case we give you a quote after the meeting. The base price is on the prices page.
How we do it with our families
Doaa, who has been with us since February 2025, has a family in Kista with two children aged three and six. The mother speaks Arabic but the children had started answering in Swedish. Doaa comes on Tuesdays and Thursdays at three. She speaks only Arabic: at pick-up, at the playground, at snack time. When the six-year-old answers in Swedish, she replies in Arabic, without comment. She brings a book in Arabic that she reads at the same time every Thursday. On the note to the parents she writes which words the children have used themselves that day. In the spring it was three words on a Thursday. In September it was a whole sentence from the three-year-old, about a dog in the courtyard.
Would you like a nanny who comes on the same days every week and whom the children know? Book a free first meeting with the nanny at your home, and we will work out a quote for your hours.
Read more: Multilingual children · English-speaking nanny in Stockholm · When do children start talking? Language development from babbling to sentences · Prices
Frequently asked questions
Does the child get confused by several languages?
No. Children who grow up with two or three languages sometimes mix words in the same sentence, but that is not confusion, it is a normal stage. They sort the languages by person and place. What helps is that each adult is consistent: mum speaks one language, the nanny another, without switching midway.
How many hours a week does it take to make a difference?
There is no exact threshold, but two or three afternoons a week in the same language shows clearly after a few months. One hour every other week does not. Children learn language from people they like and through repetition, so a nanny who comes regularly gives more than one who comes rarely.
Can the nanny teach the child a language nobody in the family speaks?
Partly. The child will understand a lot and learn words, songs and everyday phrases. But a language spoken by only one person in the child's life, a few hours a week, rarely becomes a language the child speaks fluently. Expect understanding and a good foundation, not bilingualism.
Which languages do your nannies speak?
All of them speak Swedish and English. In addition, Aleksandra speaks Bulgarian, Denise Spanish and Doaa Arabic. If you want a specific language, say so at the first meeting. If we have no nanny with that language, we tell you straight rather than promise something we cannot keep.
Should the nanny correct the child when they make mistakes?
No, not directly. What works is answering with the correct form: if the child uses the wrong ending, the nanny repeats the sentence correctly in her reply, without pointing out the mistake. Children who are corrected stop talking. Children who hear the language used correctly, over and over, correct themselves.