Jax Taylor and Brittany Cartwright said their toddler reached every expected milestone until “he stopped talking almost all together.”
A new teaser for The Valley shows Jax Taylor and Brittany Cartwright doing what’s best for baby.
The parents of 2-year-old Cruz Michael Cauchi opened up about keeping up with the challenges of parenthood, including tending to the toddler’s developmental needs. As seen in a preview clip of The Valley Season 1, Episode 4, Brittany claimed, “He just seemed to regress one day,” despite Cruz reaching other developmental milestones.
In the clip, Brittany’s mother, Sherri, helped the now-estranged couple at their home while Brittany fed the toddler raspberries in his highchair. Brittany then told Jax that Cruz’s speech therapist, Miss Dory, was expected to arrive at noon.
Why did Jax and Brittany put Cruz in speech therapy?
Jax asked his wife if she had any “concerns” to discuss with the speech therapist when she arrived. He noted it was “obvious” that Cruz’s verbal skills required extra attention, but otherwise, “everything seemed great” with the child’s growth, adding he was “a smart kid.”
“I just want to make sure that we’re giving him all the right tools and everything that he needs,” Brittany told her husband.
Jax and Brittany went into a little more detail when describing their concerns to producers.
“Cruz has done everything on time when it comes to crawling, walking, sitting up; he was saying dada, mama, doggie, things like that,” Brittany explained. “And then he just seemed to regress one day. Like, he stopped talking almost all together.”
Jax, visibly concerned about his son’s progress, said he felt like he had “been researching everything” and doing everything he was “supposed to be doing” but to no avail.
“Now, we’re going to put him in speech therapy just to make sure that he has all the help that he needs,” said Brittany.
Brittany and Jax Are Co-Parenting Cruz
In February 2024, the married couple announced their separation on their podcast, When Reality Hits with Jax and Brittany, stating they were “taking some time apart” and living in separate homes. At the time, Brittany said her focus was on “being the best mom to Cruz.”
In a later podcast episode, the couple emphasized the importance of being a united front for Cruz, including during a mixer with the toddler’s classmates. The Vanderpump Rules alums said they were “still friends” and insisted the split wasn’t a mere publicity stunt ahead of The Valley.
“We’re still co-parenting; Cruz is what matters the most,” Brittany said. “We’re gonna be adulting as hell about this.”
Cruz’s parents continue to share updates with Jax’s mini-me, including reuniting for a trip to the zoo. Brittany also got some cuddle time with Cruz, sharing pics on her Instagram Stories with the caption: “No place I’d rather be,” along with a blue heart emoji.
On Sunday, March 24, 2024, both Jax and Brittany posted the most adorable photos of their son’s first day of soccer practice onto their Instagram Stories.
Cruz may just take after his parents, too, as Brittany described Cruz’s initial experiences in front of the camera during an interview with The Daily Dish.
“I think the first day we started filming, he was a little overwhelmed because there was like 10 people in our house with cameras, and sound and, you know, all the things,” Brittany said during the series premiere. “After that, he just like went right into it, like the rest of us. We forget that they are even there, and, you know, it was fun.”