The mum of one of Britain's most pampered toddlers has revealed how she affords her son's lavish lifestyle.
Kasey Akram, 32, loves treating her one-year-old son, Jareem, and has spent thousands on extravagant possessions such as a £750 Versace chain, a £925 diamond encrusted bracelet and even a £1,000 solid gold dummy.
The Sheffield mum, who is studying to become a nurse, has hit back at those who have criticised her lavish spending, and has claimed that most people could afford to do the same if they put their minds to it.
Kasey said: "I had a baby in the middle of a pandemic where I was locked in a flat and went through scans and labour all by myself, I just want to give him the best and everything I never had.
"I don't go out, drink, smoke or go drugs, I don't go clubbing - I wear charity shop clothes and I could spend my money on far worse things. Lots of people say they're struggling but I don't get it - I've never had a credit card or a loan or been in debt in my life.
"If you have a credit card on benefits you're instantly going to be in trouble, you have to be smart and savvy. I get my outfits from charity shops and Vinted and if you buy food fresh you can cook in batches and save money on non-fresh food.
"Smokers and drinkers and clubbers and partygoers spend loads and I don't do that - if they wanted to buy designer clothes then they could.
"Before I had Jareem I had lived in a hostel and had to sleep rough - I've had a lot and I've had nothing, I just want my son to have everything so I don't think I'm doing anything wrong."
The single mum, who kicked her ex-partner out of her home because he was working nights and was waking Jareem up, previously worked as a dancer and model but is now training to be an end-of-life nurse and is starting a healthcare college course in September.
She funds the expensive purchases through the benefits she receives and with the help of her ex-partner who pays towards some of the high-end goods.
Hitting back at the hundreds of people who slammed her life online, Kasey said: "I'm just one person and people have made a split-second judgement when I'm a good mum just trying to give him a better childhood than I had.
"I'm far from a scrounger and it's my choice, yes I might spoil him but he has good manners and says please and thank you.
"I'm a mother raising a man, not a boy - and a gentleman at that."
She added: "I don't think I'm abusing the benefits system at all as I live alone and I'm a single mum. I'm going to college and it's not that I don't want to work - it's that he's too young for me to work and I can't legally go back to working without paying for a nanny or day-care.
"All his old toys go to the local doctor's surgery, we donated his old cot to charity and some of his old clothes. We always feed the homeless in town and at Christmas we make boxes with jumpers and toothpaste for them, we even give out mince pies and sandwiches."
Jareem has an elaborate routine which sees Kasey wake up at 6am every day to make her son whatever hot breakfast he fancies, which she then brings to him to eat in bed.
She then gives him a bath, using milk and honey a couple of times a week, followed by baby oil and a baby massage while he watches Peppa Pig on his bedroom TV which she moved in there from the living room.
His pampering doesn’t end there as she also takes him to get his hair cut once a fortnight and insists it’s cut by the manager of the barbershop.
And he also goes with her to the nail salon where he gets a mini pedicure from the staff there.
She has a jewellers she takes him to, and says as she is allergic to any metal other than pure gold, he probably is too - although she’s never checked.
As well as feeding him an all-organic diet, she refuses to let him drink tap water and once sacked her nanny because she disobeyed orders.
Kasey said: "I'm not committing a crime, I'm not a bad person, I've got a really big heart and I love my son so much - what parent wouldn't want the best for their child."
