Photo: Ovidiu Hrubaru | Shutterstock | Instagram
They're actively co-parenting.
By Nia Tipton — Written on Jun 09, 2022
Back in September 2020, model Gigi Hadid and singer Zayn Malik announced that their daughter, Khai, had arrived after a very low-key pregnancy.
The couple told the world of her arrival after Malik posted a photo on social media captioned, "Our baby girl is here, healthy and beautiful. To try [and] put into words how i am feeling right now would be an impossible task.
"The love I feel for this tiny human is beyond my understanding. Grateful to know her, proud to call her mine, and thankful for the life we will have together x."
Eagle-eyed fans waited four months for Hadid and Malik to announce their baby's name, only for Hadid to subtly reveal the name after putting it in her Instagram bio, read, "khai's mom."
Although both Malik and Hadid prefer to keep their daughter out of the spotlight, they still try to raise her with a sense of normalcy, even incorporating rules for her so she has more structure in her life.
Here are 7 strict rules Gigi Hadid and Zayn Malik have for raising their daughter.
1. Gigi is raising Khai to be a "farm baby."
In an interview with W Magazine, Hadid shared a glimpse into her daughter's secluded life at their family's farm in rural Pennsylvania, saying that she has been raising her daughter to be a "farm baby."
"In terms of getting to know and how to fulfill yourself, and learning how to find strength,” she said. “I’ve really learned that for me, that’s going to the farm and kind of shutting off and not putting on hair and makeup and not worrying about that kind of stuff.”
2. No social media.
Since giving birth to her daughter, Hadid, along with Malik, have only shared a few images of Khai, all without her face being seen.
According to ET Canada, Hadid shared a note on her Instagram story, explaining that the “paparazzi, press, and fan accounts” will hopefully respect their wishes to keep their daughter away from social media.
Hadid wrote that because Khai getting more curious about the world she “has started to want her sun shade lifted up” but “she doesn’t understand why she’s covered in the city, or what I’ve wanted to protect her from.”
“It would mean the world to us, as we take our daughter to see and explore NYC and the world, if you would PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE blur her face out of the images, if and when she is caught on camera,” Hadid continued.
“I know it’s an extra effort but as a new mom, I just want the best for my baby, as all parents do… and I hope this can continue the conversation to protect minors in the media, even if they come from a public family.”
3. Embracing Arab culture is a must.
In an interview with i-D, Hadid explained her parenting style, especially when it comes to raising her mixed-race daughter.
Hadid herself is half-Palestinian and Dutch, while Malik is half-Pakistani, English, and Irish.
"We think about it and talk about it a lot as partners and it's something that's really important to us, but it's also something that we first experienced ourselves, because both of our parents are their own heritage," Hadid said.
"We are that first generation of those mixed races, and then that comes with that first generational experience of being like, 'Oh damn, I'm the bridge!'"
Hadid continued: "I think that Khai will grow up feeling out the way that she can or wants to be a bridge for her different ethnicities. But I think that it will be nice to be able to have those conversations, and see where she comes from [with] it, without us putting that onto her."
"What comes from her is what I'm most excited about, and being able to add to that or answer her questions, you know?"
4. No heavy makeup when she's older.
In an interview with Harper's Bazaar, Hadid shared the beauty secrets that she will be passing down to her daughter.
"There’s a few that my mom taught me that I will for sure. My mom never really gave me advice on, like, what to do with my skincare or makeup, but I definitely watched her enough to learn," Hadid said.
"Doing too much for my skin or beauty routine can make it more complicated, and sometimes my skin can’t handle it. I think I’ll teach Khai to keep it simple when it comes to makeup, like my mom taught me."
5. Gigi and Zayn keep things civil for their daughter’s sake.
Following Hadid and Malik's breakup, after the latter was accused of striking Hadid's mother, Yolanda, the two remain amicable while raising their daughter.
"It's a tense situation," a source told E! News. "Gigi and Zayn are broken up, but intend to co-parent Khai in a peaceful and healthy environment. They are working out custody details. They are in contact over Khai and making decisions for her."
"They have been in communication and have been working on how they will continue to co-parent, but it's very tense right now. They do both want what's best for Khai and are trying to be civil," the source added.
6. Family time is important.
While speaking to iHeart, Malik opened up about the joys of becoming a father, and how he's noticed a change within himself while embarking on the journey of parenthood.
"I didn't expect to be quite as into it to be honest with you. I always into myself just doing my own thing of just writing, recording, making music, and I was just very focused on my career. I had time for my relationship too, but it was still solely about me," Malik said, adding that he truly values family time with Khai.
"The fact that [Khai] has been so easy to kind of just adjust to, it's been surprising to me because I just love spending my days with her, hanging out with her, and just doing really relaxing and chill stuff with her."
"I'm watching kids' shows with her on TV and on Netflix, learning nursery rhymes, rolling around with her, and just singing to her. It's a really different pace of life, but it's been really easy to adjust and that's the most surprising."
7. Khai is a quick learner.
Speaking to Harper's Bazaar, Hadid gushed about her daughter, saying, "She's just so smart, and she's so aware. She watches everything, she's always learning, she's always looking. She's just awesome."
The 27-year-old model also addressed the change of becoming a mother.
"I still can't believe it. It's wild. A lot of my mom friends feel like that, and we're nearing the first couple years [with our kids]. You're obsessed with them, but sometimes you turn and you're like, 'Oh my god. Where did you come from?'"
Nia Tipton is a writer living in Brooklyn. She covers pop culture, social justice issues, and trending topics. Keep up with her on Instagram and Twitter.