Taking Cara Babies has been “life-changing” for parents trying to get their newborns and toddlers to sleep. For years, social media users have raved about the Arizona-based parenting influencer — Cara Dumaplin in real life and @TakingCaraBabies on Instagram — and her online courses.
Last week, fans learned that Dumaplin made a steady stream of donations over several years to former President Donald Trump’s re-election campaign.
As the news circulated across the internet and through social media communities — fueled by BuzzFeed News reporting — some followers said they felt “betrayed” and were asking for refunds.
Here’s how the controversy erupted.
Who is Taking Cara Babies?
Cara Dumaplin is a registered neonatal nurse in the West Valley. Since 2013, she has offered online classes, an e-book and phone consultations that cost $39-$319 through her company, Taking Cara Babies.
According to Dumaplin’s Taking Cara Babies website, “My passion is teaching parents how to help their babies sleep with the science of a nurse and the heart of a mama so they can reclaim the joy of parenthood.”
Dumaplin has garnered 1.3 million Instagram followers with her pastel infographics and videos with tips for handling swaddling, sleeping and spit-up. Between 2018 and 2020, she gained more than 1 million followers, according to social monitoring platform CrowdTangle.
The @TakingCaraBabies Instagram account has grown steadily, with 37,000 to 72,000 new followers each…
