Expert answer: The BabyCenter Editorial Team

Sometimes. But experts say the delay is temporary, and the advantage of knowing two languages outweighs that small disadvantage.

"There's often a slight lag in the speech-language development of both languages in a bilingual household. Over time, though, bilingual children can catch up with their peers and have the benefit of communicating in two languages with proficiency," says Patti Hamaguchi, author of Childhood Speech, Language, and Listening Problems: What Every Parent Should Know.

In other words, kids raised in a two-language household tend to start talking a bit later, but eventually they get on track. And in the long run, speaking two languages (or more) offers big benefits.

In the job market, for example, fluency in more than one language can open many doors. It also creates opportunities for education, travel, and communication with older relatives.

Related Items Raising a bilingual child: What to do when your family is against it Raising an English-Spanish bilingual child when you don't speak Spanish