Some parents are furious after learning that a beloved baby sleep expert donated to Trump
One of the most popular parenting influencers on Instagram came under fire this week after it emerged she had donated more than $1,000 to former President Donald Trump's reelection campaign.
The influencer, Cara Dumaplin, is a former neonatal nurse who has become something of a celebrity in the parenting world, with more than 1.3 million followers on her Instagram account, Taking Cara Babies. Good Morning America has called her a "baby whisperer," and she has appeared in Parents and PopSugar to talk about baby sleep.
In addition to posting sleep advice and answering follower questions on Instagram, Dumaplin sells a popular series of virtual classes for parents desperate to get their new babies to sleep, charging more than $300 for one package.
This week, news of Dumaplin's political persuasions exploded after fellow parenting blogger Jamie Grayson shared a screenshot of showing Federal Election Commission records of Dumaplin's multiple donations to Trump's campaign.
"You cannot take cara babies if the person you're supporting puts them in cages. Full stop," Grayson wrote in a caption accompanying the FEC screenshot.
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The blogger was referring to the Trump administration's strict border regulations and detention of immigrants coming from Latin America. Many of those immigrants sought asylum, but were put in detention camps and held in cages under "horrifying conditions," including children who were separated from their parents, and some who died.
Dumaplin acknowledged the donations in an emailed statement to Insider, writing, "Between 2016 and 2019, I made a series of donations (totaling $1,078) to the Trump campaign. As with many citizens, there were aspects of the Trump Administration that I agreed with and some that I disagreed with. I will continue to serve all parents by empowering them with the tools they need to help their babies sleep."
Followers and clients of Taking Cara Babies were quick to react to the revelation.
If can’t take cara all babies if you’re supporting white supremacy. Thanks for the heads up @TheBabyGuyNYC
— Bex Nobody (@thebexone) January 20, 2021
I just went to unfollow her and she has a post up to celebrate #MLKDay where the first pic is a black baby and the other 9 are all. white. ????????????
— Dr. Megan (@meganroxanne) January 20, 2021
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Love that people think it’s about politics...still. Hello, your privilege is showing! Thanks for posting and yes girl send me those resources!
— Devon Macy (@devon_macy) January 21, 2021
Conz Preti, content director at Motherly, added to the discussion on Twitter, writing, "Probably shocking to no one but Taking Cara Babies is full on MAGA-ist. If you are a parent looking for sleep resources hit me up, I can direct you to a million others that are not racist a----les."
Probably shocking to no one but Taking Cara Babies is full on MAGA-ist. If you are a parent looking for sleep resources hit me up, I can direct you to a million others that are not racist assholes. pic.twitter.com/uXhtndttLD
— Conz Preti (@conz) January 20, 2021
Some clients said they had requested refunds for classes they had bought through Dumaplin's website.
Hey @emilyfavreau thanks for the hot lead on Taking Cara Babies.
— Kristina Edmunson (@DC_Kristina) January 20, 2021
I wrote today and asked for my full refund. https://t.co/42BnjfzHPf pic.twitter.com/wgm4mxGFr7
Other major parenting influencers also weighed in, including accounts that had worked with Taking Cara Babies in the past. Big Little Feelings, a "toddler expert" account with 1.2 million followers, posted that they had "unfollowed" and sent a personal note. Dr. Christine Sterling, whose account drsterlingobgyn has 57,000 followers, said that Dumaplin had been a mentor. "I am sorry I recommended a business without checking and asking," she wrote.
The Taking Cara Babies Instagram account has not posted in several days and the company's Facebook pages appears to no longer exist.
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