Christian influencer Brittany Dawn defends her foster parent journey amid criticism of her past, monetized baby posts
youtube.com/@brittanydawn
- Controversy-ridden Christian influencer Brittany Dawn has been open about her fertility struggles.
- A foster child was placed with the influencer on Monday, she announced on Instagram.
- Critics have raised concerns about recent posts, including affiliate links and sensitive information about the child.
Christian influencer Brittany Dawn Nelson is under scrutiny after announcing that she's fostering a child and has monetized some aspects of her foster child's care.
Nelson is no stranger to controversy. Earlier this year, the state of Texas sued her fitness consultancy, accusing her of falsely claiming to have specialist knowledge to help people with eating disorders. The lawsuit also said customers complained that her fitness company promised customers personalized diet and fitness plans but never delivered.
Now, Nelson is defending herself against critics questioning her decision to become a foster parent.
The Texas-based influencer has been open about her fertility struggles, sharing that she had a chemical miscarriage in April. In July, she announced her desire to start fostering, and in October, Nelson suffered another miscarriage.
On Monday, she announced to her 469,000 Instagram followers that she and her husband were fostering a child, which riled some.
Nelson responded to criticism that her foster agency didn't conduct due diligence given her and her husband's controversial past. (Her husband, a former Kansas City, Missouri, police officer, was sued by the ACLU for using excessive force against a Black man in 2013.)
"My background check came back perfect, thaaank you," Nelson said in an Instagram comment. "I'd be cautious believing everything you see about someone on the internet, a gossip forum, and especially manipulative news stories."
Commenters on a Reddit forum dedicated to criticizing Nelson have also questioned the ethics surrounding some of Nelson's posts about the child. The forum r/BrittanyDawnSnark currently has 26,500 members.
Other members of the forum have criticized Nelson for sharing what appears to be an affiliate link to her new baby monitor in a recent Instagram Story, and for revealing personal details about the infant, including that it is suffering from substance withdrawals.
Before the child had arrived, Nelson was excitedly posting photos of her new stroller and car seat, as well as snaps from her foster care baby shower. On Monday, she shared a family photo with the child's face blurred out. (While rules vary by state and foster agency, the US Children's Bureau decrees that foster parents "do not identify a child or youth as a foster child or post their full name or address on a social media network.")
It wouldn't be the first time a momfluencer has faced criticism over their parenting decisions. In 2020, the vlogger Myka Stauffer apologized for re-homing her adopted son Huxley whom she frequently posted about on her social media channels, including sponsored posts.
Insider has reached out to Nelson for comment.