Bilingual BB

So, as you may know, I love French. I majored in it in college, studied abroad in France two times, and started graduate school in it at Vanderbilt, although I decided not to continue there for various reasons. I really want BB to speak French and am trying to incorporate it into our everyday routine. However, it is somewhat awkward to just SPEAK it to him, since it is not my native tongue--how do you baby talk in French? Plus, there's the whole baby vocabulary issue--you don't typically learn how to say changing table, diaper, crib, lovie, etc. in the classroom. So, for anyone interested in teaching their child a second language, here are some suggestions, based on things I do to help BB learn French:

1. Read books to your child in the target language. You can find many classics (Goodnight Moon, Where the Wild Things Are, The Cat in the Hat...the list goes on) translated into several languages on Amazon. Plus, this is a good way to expose your child to unusual vocabulary.

2. Let your child watch educational videos in the target language. Baby Einstein DVDs usually have a couple of language tracks other than English, so you can play the whole thing in Spanish or French (these are the only options on our BE DVDs). I am looking into buying the Little Pim DVD series in French for BB. It looks great!

3. Play music for your child in the target language. It is amazing how many CDs of playtime music and lullabies are available on iTunes in various languages. I play BB upbeat French kids' music while he is playing on his playmat and he seems to enjoy it. 

4. Look into podcasts in the Target language. Play them whenever you are having some downtime. The more your child is exposed to the language, the better. Hearing the natural rhythm and tone of native speakers is the best way for your child to become used to the sounds of the target language. I also found an application for my iPhone that streams live French radio, and I play it for BB when he's eating his cereal, or just whenever I think about it. It's great for me, too, because it helps me keep up with my auditory language skills!

5. When your child becomes old enough to read, label household items (such as doors, chairs,the TV, etc.) with their names in the target language. Point them out to your child whenever you encounter the object. You can indicate the names of anything in the target language to your child--when picking out fruits and vegetables at the grocery store, when looking at animals at the zoo, when playing outside...the possibilities are endless!

These are just things I like to do with BB to help him learn French; it is certainly not a comprehensive list of ways to help your child become bilingual. If you're teaching your child a second language, what are some tips you have for me? Please share!!