Data-Driven Parenting with Emily Oster

Emily Oster tells it like it is. The Professor of Economics at Brown University is known for her books that take a data-driven approach to pregnancy and parenting. Wondering what’s behind the sushi rule during pregnancy or how much coffee you’re allowed to drink? Curious about co-sleeping? Potty Training? Emily provides the data and analysis that drive these well-known rules.  Emily’s first book, Expecting Better, provides information to help women make their own well-informed decisions throughout pregnancy. She then wrote Cribsheet, a similarly data-driven book to help new parents navigate all of the conflicting information about how to breastfeed, sleep-train, and potty training.  Her most recent book, The Family Firm, provides a framework for data-driven parents to think about the key issues of the elementary years: school, health, extracurricular activities, and more.  In this week’s episode, Sonya and Emily talked about many topics of interest in early childhood development. Key Takeaways Hierarchy of types of research studies Confusion around data reporting Do childhood vaccines cause Autism Does sleep training work and is it beneficial How having children impacts marital satisfaction What's best: nanny vs. daycare vs. stay at home parent Data around TV watching and learning for kids under 5 Potty training Alcohol and breastfeeding and pregnancy --------------The Grow the Good Podcast is produced by Palm Tree Pod Co.