This post is an honest mom review of Taking Cara Babies after I bought her program and completed it.
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Taking Cara Babies has prided its brand on giving you tips and tricks on teaching independent sleep habits for babies to get them to sleep long hours and soundly and the most culturally popular concept: The ABCs of sleep.
Baby sleep is tricky for many parents to navigate during the first year.
From attempting to get your newborn to sleep in bassinet to transferring them out of a swaddle, sh*ts hard!
Ultimately, we went for a basic pack-n-play and transitioned her to a floor bed ( Montessori mattress on floor), and it’s been bliss ever since.
Babies grow rapidly and go through numerous fundamental developmental changes over 12 months.
So much so that you are constantly guessing what could be wrong with them since they can’t communicate.
Being in the dark about what your baby is going through when your 3 month old is fighting sleep is stressful af I know.
When I was pregnant, I researched the baby’s sleep and how it worked.
After learning how devastating the effects of sleep deprivation on babies and parents could be, I wanted to avoid that at all costs.
So, I researched and found Taking Cara Babies on a mom forum one day.
I looked at Cara’s website and decided to purchase her newborn sleep course: “Will I Ever Sleep Again” course while pregnant, as instructed by Taking Cara Babies, for $80.
After completing both courses, I asked myself the same question many do,
” Is Taking Cara Babies Worth it? “
Cara is more of your run-of-the-mill influencer, using readily available and standard knowledge sleep information while putting her face, flowery jargon, and a price tag on it.
Branding is what sells best!
Her sleep training programs are popular, so is it worth the hype?
This post is my honest review of Taking Cara Babies as a first time mom.
Taking Cara Babies Review
Taking Cara Babies was pretty huge culturally when I was pregnant, from teaching sleep training naps to potentially navigating teething and sleep.
Sleep is one of parents’ biggest challenges, so it’s no wonder she built a massive empire off babies who don’t sleep. I mean, teething and sleep training is hard, so these courses should be great, right? But is it worth it?
1. Taking Cara Babies is Expensive
Cara understands that baby sleep is a fundamental issue for all parents, new and seasoned.
She also understands it is a sensitive topic for many parents where everyone could struggle.
That being the case, she knows parents who are desperate enough will pay ANYTHING to get their baby to sleep.
The “Will I Ever Sleep Again” course costs $80, and the 3-4 month sleep training naps E-book costs $40.
By the way, it wasn’t even an ‘E-Book’; it was a two-page infographic PDF form filled with the same information I have learned from books and reiterated concepts from her “Will I Ever Sleep Again” course.
It was frustratingly basic and unhelpful, considering she charged $40.
Like, no joke, you could find a similar infographic pin on Pinterest that offers the same amount of information.
Lastly, the bundle is $100.
For the first five months of baby sleep education, you will pay anywhere from $100 to $120!
I never bought any further courses, but here are the numbers.
- “Will I Ever Sleep Again? ” – $80
- Navigating Months 3-4 EBook – $40
- The First 5 Month Bundle – $100
- The ABCs of Sleep – $179
- Conquering Naps – $129
- 5 – 24 Month Bundle with Bonus Bumps Along the Way – $249
If you decide to buy both bundles, you are looking to pay at least $350 before taxes for those courses.
It may not sound that bad.
However, considering I managed to get my daughter to sleep through the night without forking over the cash and would have done it without spending any money on her class, I could have done it for almost free!
Free or at least hella affordable is always better than $350.
Especially in these times of steep inflation and where people are struggling to pay for groceries and gas, not many people have an extra $100-$400 on just a baby sleep course.
Maybe that cost could be justified if she offered other postpartum care guidance, but just baby sleep?
Baby sleep education should be affordable and accessible for all parents, not just the ones who can afford it.
Related Reading: 7 Causes Why Baby Sleeps With Their Mouth Open
2. Taking Cara Babies isn’t Revolutionary
This also falls into the category of being too expensive for what it is.
I finished the first Newborn course while pregnant in just a few hours and was shocked at how little new information I learned.
I didn’t learn any new or valuable information from Taking Cara Babies.
Many of the principles she showcases have been around for decades and have been rehashed into a pretty display.
I used my Moms on Call, Becoming Babywise, and Precious Little Sleep principles to help my daughter learn healthy and independent sleep habits.
Because many of those principles were passed into her course, I felt like I had Deja Vu.
However, we ran into a slight speed bump when my daughter had an early morning wake-up and false starts.
So I bought the 3 – 4 Month Ebook for $40 since the previous course I purchased from her expired.
It wasn’t very reassuring to see it wasn’t an Ebook but a two paged Infographic on sleep tips that I already knew! *facepalm*
None of it served the situation I was experiencing.
But it looked pretty and cute!
At the end of the day, I joined the Sleep Training Group on Facebook, and the mamas there helped me get back on track. It only took a day.
I wish I had done that before dishing out the forty freaking bucks on her infographic!
Related Reading: 18 Amazing Baby Sleep Tips That Work Fast
3. Taking Cara Babies Milks As Much Money as Possible
One of the big problems I had with Cara and Taking Cara Babies was her emphasis that babies cannot be formally sleep-trained before they are five months old and aren’t capable of sleeping through the night.
Ask anyone on the Respectful Sleep Training Group on Facebook, which has nearly half a million members, and they will tell you that isn’t the case.
Many have formally and successfully taught their children independent sleep practices as young as two months old with a pediatrician’s green light.
I also had my daughter sleeping soundly all night, every night, by the time she was four months old.
So, it IS possible, not for all babies but many, if not most of them.
However, if you have a baby sleeping soundly and independently with no problems, you won’t buy what she is selling because baby sleep is a past problem for you now!
Her business thrives on babies that AREN’T sleeping well.
She would rather you not have your baby sleep fully through the night too soon, so you will buy her sleep training course for nearly $300.
This serves Cara perfectly as she gets more money out of you.
However, this doesn’t serve you because it only delays your baby from having the skill to sleep independently and through the night while simultaneously emptying your wallet when they can do it sooner if you both feel good and ready.
If your baby sleeps before five months, you won’t buy Cara’s added nearly $300 course, a sale she loses.
By convincing the baby’s parents that they CAN’T do something before a particular time, she CAN get them to keep buying her courses, and she keeps making money.
4. Taking Cara Babies Courses Expire
This is a biggie for me here.
After you purchase a kit, she lets you know once you start, it expires after a certain amount of time.
It was 90 days.
I was ready to attempt nap training and bought the e-book in case there was something useful.
I couldn’t refer to the previous course I purchased to troubleshoot because it expired.
Super annoying.
Her course isn’t a perishable watermelon; it shouldn’t expire after a certain amount of time after purchasing it.
Especially considering I have taken many online courses for various things, and none of them expire; on the contrary, you have access to all the new course updates and information forever!
So, since her courses expire (according to my knowledge, this hasn’t changed), it’s just shady and poor business practice.
In fact, Massage Envy was busted for this model by allowing its gift cards to expire after a certain amount of time if they are not used.
For Taking Cara Babies, you can’t hold on to these courses when you need to troubleshoot or if you have another baby in the future (super f*cking lame considering the cost).
She wants you to repurchase her course so she can make more money.
When it comes to these kinds of products and services, they should only expire if you cancel your account; there is really no excuse for product expiration business practices; it prioritizes the business and not the customer.
The courses are too expensive to expire, and it’s incredibly frustrating that she seems to prioritize her wallet over her customers’ user experience.
I suggest you buy one of the following books to refer to whenever you need it.
They will NEVER expire and are MUCH cheaper:
I wholeheartedly LOVE these books and found them extremely informative and helpful.
They helped me figure out the 3 to 2 nap transition. It was also super helpful when she was ready to transition to one nap and get my daughter to sleep 12+ hours uninterrupted. She is now at 2.5, sleeping 90 minutes for a nap and 11.5 hours at night, most of the time if she’s not sick.
They help you learn newborn tired signs, the fundamentals of infant sleep and play, newborns fighting sleep, and more.
I get it, it sucks when your six month old not sleeping.
However, for all three, it will cost you less than $40, a total bargain for the information you get in them and if you don’t mind reading.
Related Reading: The Best Sleep Schedule For 2 Month Old Baby
5. The Taking Cara Babies Principals are Available Anywhere Online
As I mentioned before, literally nothing of what Taking Cara Babies teaches is new or revolutionary baby sleep principles.
They have been around for decades, from recognizing newborn sleep cues to sleep training naps.
Taking Cara Babies essentially consolidated this information, gift-wrapped it for you, and then charged you hundreds of dollars.
When Annabelle started having nap troubles, I didn’t go to her site and purchase her Conquering Naps course for $130.
Instead, I joined the Respectful Sleep Training Group on Facebook to ask for help with real everyday women who do this.
I received so much insight and helpful tips from other mothers and the admins to help me troubleshoot sleeping problems for nearly a year!
Not only are they helpful and give you a place not to be judged for wanting to help your baby sleep independently, but you also feel a sense of camaraderie with one another.
Many women there have successfully sleep-trained their babies and are giving advice or are looking to sleep-train and want advice.
Everyone has either been in the same position as you and got out of it or is currently in the same place you are.
You have your tribe when you are in the process and motivational stories to keep you going!
It is a judgment-free zone, so it is safe.
If you are struggling with baby sleep and want to hear other success stories or ask for help on where to start, I strongly suggest the Respectful Sleep Training Group on Facebook.
They helped me figure out the process of transitioning from swaddle to sleepsack, and it was great.
When I joined over a year ago, they had roughly 170k members; now, they have nearly 400K!
You can make personal connections with these women and have solid support as you go through the ups and downs of your baby’s sleep journey.
6. Sleep training consists of the same fundamentals everywhere
At the end of the day, regardless of the method you choose to get your baby to sleep better, they are all the same fundamentals:
- There will be some crying because growing and learning a new skill is hard and disorienting, and they are allowed to express these feelings.
- Don’t rush over to baby the second they make some noise. Babies are noisy sleepers and often aren’t awake when they sound like they are.
- Even when babies wake up, give them a few minutes to see if they settle down. This is why formula-fed babies tend to sleep through the night sooner because they need to wait longer for the bottle and, over time, fall back asleep on their own. Whereas babies who breastfeed and cosleep all night take longer to sleep independently and through the night because they have a nonstop supply of milk and never have to wait.
- Baby’s poor sleep habits are more often than not habit-induced and not due to them being “just a bad sleeper.”
- As parents, we interfere with our baby sleeping longer hours independently than anything.
- You still continue night feeds when sleep training.
- Once a pediatrician clears, the baby can stop night feeds by 2-3 months old.
- Babies can sleep happily, independently, for long hours, and thoroughly by 3-4 months old.
- There is no overnight fix; proper sleep habits take months to implement.
- Your baby is smart and capable.
- You don’t have to spend a buttload of money to get there.
An Honest Taking Cara Babies Review from a First Time Mom
So, should you buy Taking Cara Babies or not?
Well, that is all certainly up to you.
It’s hard to put to sleep your baby.
If money isn’t an issue and you prefer to pay someone for consolidated information, that is perfectly fine, and Taking Cara Babies will serve you.
Her tips are helpful, but you can find them anywhere for free or cheaper with baby sleep books and forums.
That being said, you CAN go without Taking Cara Babies and find much more affordable or even free options online where you can learn.
So, I think Taking Cara Babies is essentially the “expensive brand name” sleep training class that really isn’t that much better than the others, but because it looks nice and is culturally popular, well, there you go. Also, the brands and products she partners with and suggests are uber-expensive.
My 18 Extremely Effective Baby Sleep Tips are a basic skeleton blueprint of my steps to get Annabelle to sleep through the night.
I managed to nap train, learn newborn sleep cues, a 3-month-old fighting sleep, have my daughter’s newborn days and nights mixed up (wah), and get her to sleeping abundantly and eagerly ever since, without the help of Taking Cara Babies.
Also, having more faith in your ability to read your baby is important because you can. You’ll be surprised after some time. You can read your newborn sleep cues like a pro!
In the future, I will create more content and go deeper into the systems and planning I took.
Baby sleep is challenging, but you can become a baby sleep master!
Whether Taking Cara Babies, reading my suggested books, or following the Respectful Sleep Training Group, you will learn excellent baby sleep principles and how to take on that first year.
If you want to learn more about how I got my daughter to sleep like a champ, enjoy and even anticipate bedtime, your 3 month old fighting sleep or how to sleep train naps, let me know!
I also want you to know you are capable and super intuitive. You can totally take on dropping to one nap, learning your newborn tired signs, swaddling with arms out (which we also did for a bit), when to stop naps, best sleeping sacks, napping at daycare, and everything else with time. You got this
Good luck, mama!
This post was a first time mom review of TakingCaraBabies.
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