Tia Blanco and her fiancé, Brody Jenner, are both ocean obsessives, but their baby girl, Honey, isn’t ready to jump in just yet.
“It’s interesting, because I know babies are typically loving bathtime right out of the womb and loving water, but she doesn’t seem like she’s that much of a water baby,” Blanco, 26, exclusively told Us Weekly while promoting her partnership with Fahlo. “Which is fine! She’s her own unique human being, and I’m sure maybe it’s too young to tell … I don’t know if it’s too cold in the ocean, but she’s like, ‘Oh, I’m going to be warm in Mommy’s arms,’ so we’re just not forcing anything.”
Blanco, who is a professional surfer, plans to introduce Honey, 8 months, to the sport when she’s ready — and not a minute sooner.
“Of course, I’m going to want to get her on my surfboard whenever I feel it’s safe for her to get out there with me,” Blanco explained. “Obviously, with a life vest on and everything. It’s so important to make the initiation into the ocean such a fun experience, so we’re going to go at her pace. But then I hear other moms that are like, ‘She loves bathtime,’ and I’m like, ‘I feel like Honey’s not that into bathtime!’ But it’s all good.”
Blanco and Jenner, 40, welcomed Honey in July 2023. One month prior, the duo got engaged after more than a year of dating. The pair were first linked in April 2022.
According to Blanco, the twosome are currently focusing on baby Honey, but she is making at least some progress when it comes to wedding planning.
“I did mention the other day to my family that I want to start trying on dresses, so that’s exciting,” Blanco told Us. “Honey was born at home, so I feel like our home is very sacred for us, and I told [Brody] I would love to get married there, too.”
Still, the couple want to wait until Honey is able to be more of an active participant in her parents’ special day.
“We’re really wanting Honey to be a part of the wedding,” Blanco explained. “I want her to be walking around talking. I wanted her to be involved. A lot happened quick for us, and I feel like we’re just not in a huge rush.”
For now, Blanco and Jenner are focused on teaching Honey about the natural world, which is even easier thanks to Fahlo. The company’s bracelets allow wearers to track animals, including sea turtles, elephants and sloths in the wild. Proceeds from each purchase go toward conservation organizations focused on making sure those animals remain a part of the earth’s landscape for years to come.
“At an early age, [Honey is] already such an animal lover, which is awesome because I don’t know if you could really teach that,” Blanco told Us. “I’m going to try to instill my compassion for animals to her at a young age, but naturally she’s always wanting to be around our dogs and always giggling and laughing with them. I feel like it’s going to come natural for her.”
Blanco decided to partner with Fahlo because she’s “very passionate about marine life,” in part because of all the years she spent in the water as a surfer.
“I feel like it is my duty as a water woman to protect the ocean and ocean animals,” she explained. “Through my years of competitive surfing, I was able to travel to Africa, and … I got to do a couple of safaris over there, and while we were seeing these beautiful majestic creatures, the elephants and the rhinos, the tour guide would actually have to turn off the radio because the poachers are always trying to see where the location is for these animals. I got to see firsthand how important it is to fight for these animals on the daily.”
