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Cribsheet
Cribsheet: A Data-Driven Guide to Better, More Relaxed Parenting, from Birth to Preschool | Emily Oster
15 posts | 21 read | 1 reading | 7 to read
From the author of EXPECTING BETTER, an economist's guide to the early years of parenting With Expecting Better, award-winning economist Emily Oster spotted a need in the pregnancy market for advice that gave women the information they needed to make the best decision for their own pregnancies. By digging into the data, Oster found that much of the conventional pregnancy wisdom was wrong. In Cribsheet, she now tackles an even greater challenge: decision-making in the early years of parenting. As any new parent knows, there is an abundance of often-conflicting advice hurled at you from doctors, family, friends, and strangers on the internet. From the earliest days, parents get the message that they must make certain choices around feeding, sleep, and schedule or all will be lost. There's a ruleor threefor everything. But the benefits of these choices can be overstated, and the trade-offs can be profound. How do you make your own best decision? Armed with the data, Oster finds that the conventional wisdom doesn't always hold up. She debunks myths around breastfeeding (not a panacea), sleep training (not so bad!), potty training (wait until they're ready or possibly bribe with M&Ms), language acquisition (early talkers aren't necessarily geniuses), and many other topics. She also shows parents how to think through freighted questions like if and how to go back to work, how to think about toddler discipline, and how to have a relationship and parent at the same time. Economics is the science of decision-making, and CRIBSHEET is a thinking parent's guide to the chaos and frequent misinformation of the early years. Emily Oster is a trained expertand mom of twowho can empower us to make better, less fraught decisionsand stay sane in the years before preschool.
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review
youneverarrived
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Mehso-so

I never skim read but I did with this. I appreciated the research and data (or lack of), the way she broke it down and the explanations into what types of research actually provide real data but most of it just boiled down to ‘there‘s not enough data, so go with your own decision‘. That‘s probably the main point of the book. I just got really bored with it. #nonfiction2023 - big yellow taxi (the cover is yellow 💛)

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CaseyTheCanadianLesbrarian
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Pickpick

I really appreciated Oster's sensible, calm, and nonjudgemental approach. She evaluates the data on common early parenting decisions like breastfeeding, sleep training, vaccines, and child care/preschool. This works great for issues with a significant medical/scientific component, not so much for stuff like preschool or discipline choices, where there are too many variables (what will work best for your kid depends on what kind of kid you have!)

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CaseyTheCanadianLesbrarian
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"Some things about a second child are harder, the main one being the presence of the first child."

Hahaha Emily Oster has some lowkey very funny asides like this.

Reading about babies with a sleeping baby on your chest is the best ???

julesG 😍 Agree to both, the quote and reading about babies with a baby on your chest. 😉 2y
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CaseyTheCanadianLesbrarian
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"We know being a parent means getting a lot of advice, but this advice is almost never accompanied by an explanation of *why* something is true or not, or to what degree we can even know it's true. And by not explaining why, we remove people's ability to think about these choices for themselves." ??

Well, I officially want to marry this woman. Flash photo taken in the dark with my cranky baby sleeping on my chest, having refused to be put down.

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beaconhillbooks
Pickpick

Love this, any more economic type book recs?

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BethM
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Pickpick

I listened to this on audio and very much appreciated it. It‘s data driven and science based which being pregnant and into science I devoured. It also gave my confidence and perspective on some of my choices that my family is arguing with.

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amyf0x
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Pickpick

Oster‘s evidence-based approach to making some of the big decisions parents face (from right after the baby is born until toddlerhood) is easy to read and refreshingly presented.

Read July/August
Rated 4.5/5 ⭐️
Book 33/60

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ke1lbe1l

Couldn‘t make it through without recommending alternatives or supplements - especially related to the early childhood chapters - Positive Discipline by Nelsen (logical consequences are such a better approach than any she discusses). Also read anything on/by Piaget, Maria Montessori, Vygotsky, or John Dewey (Experience and Education) if you‘re interested in learning more about philosophies and science of childhood development.

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ke1lbe1l
Mehso-so

If you want an approachable review of data re: common questions for new parents, this fits the bill. But if you make it through this book without rolling your eyes at her bougie take on things (the audiobook narrator‘s voice doesn‘t help), I‘d be surprised. Ultimately, just skip to “the bottom line” section at the end of each chapter. Full disclosure, I‘m not yet a parent but read this because I‘m in early childhood ed and heard decent reviews.

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Mdonald
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Pickpick
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BMWtheAuthor
Pickpick

A great book about statistical rigor in childhood studies. For the full review, please visit http://benjamin-m-weilert.com/index.php/2019/11/13/book-cribsheet-2019/

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Chelsea.Poole
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Pickpick

I loved Expecting Better when I was pregnant and this straightforward examination of parenting after having the baby is excellent as well. My kids are a bit older so I skimmed most of the first year info. I appreciate the way the author examines trends in raising children with data rather than emotion to prove points. (As seen here with my chili dinner) #parenting #raisingreaders #readandeat

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ElectricKatyLand
Pickpick

Economist Emily Oster explores parenting dogma and myths by dissecting what the evidence actually says. Comforting, insightful, and informative read on many major decisions new parents make, from how to feed your baby to how to discipline toddlers. Strongly recommend!

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nomadreader
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A very happy hour indeed #booksandbooze

KristenDuck Perfect! 5y
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