Welcome to Spill the Milk, where we ask some of the UK's most famous mums and dads to reveal all about the wonderful world of parenting.
For our third instalment of ‘Spill the Milk’ we caught up with UK rapper and broadcaster, Casyo ‘Krept’ Johnson, and health and beauty influencer, Sasha Ellese Gilbert, who co-parent their baby daughter, Nala. Read on to find out the drink that’s saved Krept from those dreaded toddler tantrums, plus Sasha opens up about how she's struggled with being a mum after losing both of her parents.
Also, check out everything you need to know about the couples brand new baby range, Nala's Baby.
We’ve had our struggles when it comes to parenthood
Sasha: For me, it’s been not having my parents. My mum passed away when I was 18 and my dad passed away three years ago just before Nala was conceived. I have sisters who I can go to and who can give me motherly advice, and I have Casyo’s mum, but I just think not having my own parents to cross reference back to when I was a child and their experience with me has been quite difficult. There's been so many moments where I've just thought to myself ‘it would have been nice to pick up the phone and just have a conversation with my mum about this’, because we did used to speak about certain things about when I was a baby. You don't realise until you have a child how nice it would be to have that.
Krept: I’ve found balancing work and having your child with you a challenge, as I work when Nala’s with me. Kids are needy, they’re like ‘I need this and I need it now’, you can't tell them ‘ok two minutes’, and if I don't get it in the next 10 seconds her scream is going to get louder and louder. Being business owners, we don't have a schedule, the work has to get done or it's not going to happen, but you also need to be there for your child and cater to their needs, so it’s managing both, and sometimes that part gets difficult. I really try my best to deal with time management. Now, I’ll set my alarm to make sure I wake up a little bit earlier than Nala to get some stuff around the house done and then I try to do as much as I can while she's napping. But everything else that comes with it is a blessing, like seeing your own little person growing into their own little person, and them learning things from you. It's like it’s your job to create the best version of yourself and take all the mistakes that you've learned and to make sure they don't have to go through those same mistakes. When we were growing up, it was more difficult and I want to set a different standard for our daughter.
Despite not being together, we admire each other a lot, especially as parents
Sasha: Cas is such a busy person, he has multiple businesses, lots people that rely on him and so many things that he has to do, but the way that he prioritises Nala and puts her first is amazing. There's been times where we've gone out for food and I've literally just had a meltdown in the middle of the place and started crying like ‘I’m just so stressed’ and he’s like ‘Sash, it's okay, she's just crying’ and he calms me down. He's just a very calm and a reassuring person.
Krept: Sasha’s been such a great mum to Nala. One thing I know for sure is I know when she's with Sasha she's safe and to have that kind of feeling when it comes to the thing that you love the most is so important. I will do anything for Nala and for me to be able to leave her with Sasha and feel safe and at peace that my daughter is loved and being taken care of, I couldn't ask for anything more. She's always put Nala first, despite if me and her have an argument, she's never let it affect my relationship with her. I can't be more grateful to have a mother of my child that is like this with my daughter. She's shown me how to be an amazing, caring and a loving mum.
Seeing Nala reach new milestones is so rewarding
Sasha: Each time she eats, she reaches a different age or a different milestone or she learns something new, I'm so happy and excited, but then I'm like, ‘but I miss when she just learned to sit up by herself, or to hold her own head up, or when she learned to drink from the bottle’. Every single step you feel so proud. Everyone always said ‘the first two years of their life are just going to fly by’ and that’s literally happened. It’s bittersweet, because I'm so excited of the little person that she's becoming, but I really do just miss her being my little baby.
Krept: I always look back at when Nala was small and I literally think ‘how have you grown?’. It's weird because you kind of don't even notice it, even though there's such a massive difference between when she was just born and now, but because you're with them all the time you can't physically see it happening. It's like you wake up and they just look a bit different and you haven’t noticed. Also, looking back at how much progress she’s made as a baby, like when she was first trying to hold her head up, to just running or riding a bicycle. Just seeing the progress of her as a human being, it’s crazy.
Patience and prioritising are two big changes we’ve noticed in ourselves since becoming parents
Krept: Before Nala was born, I just used to always think work, work, work, I need to prioritise work and then when she was born she had to come first. Now, Nala’s at the forefront of everything that I do, unless it’s something I literally physically can't change. I’ll plan a lot now, I know I’ll have her at these times, so I plan my life around that. It’s made me realise I can't keep chasing work all the time, because I'm going to miss the moments with people that I love. Losing family members and stuff made me realise I can keep chasing because by the time I get there, everybody's not going to be here, or we're going to be way too old. Nala’s made me realise that I need to really enjoy now and not always look too far into the future.
Sasha: Before I wasn’t a patient person at all, but with a child you have to be. There's so many times where it’s testing, but I just have to give myself little pep talks, like ‘no Sash she's a baby and she's learning, and you have to be gentle, and she’ll get there when she’s ready’. Today we were on the way to nursery and we had a hard time getting ready. She was having tantrums and she just didn't want to cooperate at all. I was in the car praying and I just sat and said ‘Nal's one day you're going to be having this conversation with your kids and you're probably going to be saying the same thing.’ ‘Just be patient, it’s ok’, is something I find myself saying quite a lot and it helps.
The parenting products we couldn't live without are quite different…
Krept: Mine’s apple juice. If I have Apple juice Nala is fine, that's been my saviour, like she'd be crying then I'm like 'Nala do you want apple juice?' and she's like 'apple juice, apple juice'. I swear to you, apple juice has got us through the car journeys, calming her down, tantrums. Get your kids into apple juice.
Sasha: Mine’s baby wipes. We need them around the clock, meal times, nappy changes, when we’re out and about, on our walks and if she hurts herself we use it as a temporary cold compress. They’re essential. I’ve ran out of baby wipes once and it was an actual disaster, definitely something I’d include in my parenting survival pack.
Would you rather…
Stand on a piece of lego barefoot or be pooped on by your baby?
Sasha: Stand on a piece of Lego, even Nala cries at her own poo, baby poo is no fun.
Krept: Pooped on by my baby. It doesn't hurt.
Watch Peppa Pig for a month or never watch TV again?
Sasha: Peppa Pig, I’m really into kids programmes, Nala has forced me to like them.
Krept: Pepper pig for a month.
Never drink wine again or never drink coffee again?
Sasha: I don’t drink coffee at all so I’m more than happy to let that one go.
Krept: Never drink coffee.
Clean glitter out of carpet or clean felt tip pen of the walls?
Sasha: Glitter out of carpet, nothing a good hoover cannot solve, Nala has drawn on our walls already and there is no easy solution to the problem.
Krept: Glitter out a carpet.
Be able to go to the toilet in peace forever or have undisturbed sleep for a year?
Sasha: Wow that’s a big question. Undisturbed sleep would be divine, but it would also be nice to go to the toilet in peace!
Krept: Undisturbed sleep for a year.
What's your top parenting product?
Krept: Apple juice. If I have Apple juice anywhere around Nala is fine, that's been my saviour, like she'd be crying then I'm like 'Nala do you want apple juice?' and she's like 'apple juice, apple juice'. I swear to you, apple juice has got us through the car journeys, calming her down, tantrums. Get your kids into apple juice.
Sasha: Baby wipes. We need them around the clock, meal times, nappy changes, when we’re out and about, on our walks and if she hurts herself we use it as a temporary cold compress. They’re essential. I’ve ran out of baby wipes once and it was an actual disaster, definitely something I’d include in my parenting survival pack.
Since we last caught up with Sasha and Krept their baby skincare brand, Nala's Baby has been a huge success, selling over 750,000 products and winning gold for best skincare product at the Mother & Baby awards two years in a row. Now it is expanding into more retailers including, Tesco, Ocado and Morrisons so we caught up with Sasha and Krept again to see how they are getting on with parenting and business.
In February 2024, Nala's Baby is expanding, how important is that for you, and also how might it inspire others to build their own business?
Krept: It's important to us to shine a light on that sort of stuff. The journey of a business, not just the upsides but the realities of business that you face. We try to talk about the journey. We want to help people to learn. We are fortunate to shine that light for people like me who want to do similar things and it is definitely a good thing. For Nala's Baby we are really excited for this year and what is to come. Growing the brand. Growing the range. Listening to the customers and what they want and what they feel we need."
Sasha: We have had a lot of conversations. When we first started the vision we had for it long term was skincare, cosmetics, education, the app. So many things that are important. Throughout a child's life they need different things. How can we create a brand which follows a child throughout every single stage of their life? That is the bigger goal. It might be many moons away. But how can we make a difference in a good way throughout the life span of a child?
And how about Nala, she is three now. How has parenting changed? Are there any new challenges, or surprises? What are the best bits?
Sasha: I always heard the term 'threenager' and it is accurate. Her attitude is a challenge. She's testing the boundaries.
Krept: Nala picks her battles with me and Sasha. Now though, it is easier to communicate with her.
Sasha: The best bit is watching her personality blossom. Like when she is showing acts of kindness, or being very loving.
Krept: With Nala, because she has such a personality she understands what is funny and what is not. Now she tries to be funny, knowing she is being funny. It's hilarious that's she knows what being funny is. And she surprises me with her vocabulary."
Sasha: "Yeah, she comes out with new phrases and words and I'm like how did you even know that. It's always a surprising moment. And praying is something we do regularly, me and her dad, when she stays with her dad too."
Krept: "She said to me the other day, 'Dad, don't forget to pray.'"
With Nala and Nala's baby both growing and demanding your attention, how do you manage it all?
Krept: If Sasha has Nala, I will take on as much as I can with Nala's Baby and vice versa. If I have Nala, Sasha will do what she can. We have to cram as much as we can when Nala is at nursery, as well as being an adult and having other responsibilities and things to do. I appreciate those windows, especially me being a muscian, we had that time to balance doing things late at night, or time to juggle but when you have a child, it's like no, this is the window. Make it work in this window."
Read our other Spill the Milk articles with Ashley Jamesand Kelvin and Liz Fletcher.
Bryony Firth-Bernard graduated from the University of Gloucestershire with a first in Journalism and went on to work as a reporter at Heart Radio West before becoming the lifestyle intern across Good Housekeeping, Prima and Red magazine. She then worked as a digital writer for Mother&Baby and Yours.co.uk before moving on to work for a fitness brand. Her hobbies include hitting the weights in the gym and going to pole fitness (where she gets countless bruises). On the weekend she loves whipping up new recipes in the kitchen and spending time with her friends and family.