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1.24k reviews for:
Cribsheet: A Data-Driven Guide to Better, More Relaxed Parenting, from Birth to Preschool
Emily Oster
4.08 AVERAGE
1.24k reviews for:
Cribsheet: A Data-Driven Guide to Better, More Relaxed Parenting, from Birth to Preschool
Emily Oster
4.08 AVERAGE
informative
slow-paced
I listened to the majority of this on a library audiobook, but thought it was so good that I just went and bought the book to reference. This is in the same vein as Expecting Better, but this time, rather than focusing on pregnancy, it's a data-driven guide to parenting a baby and young children. The book doesn't take many strong stances (except for obvious ones, like vaccines: they work, surprise!), but rather breaks down the evidence on major questions people taking care of babies and children will likely run into. I am a big fan of this approach, as a chronic over-researcher. Data gives me less anxiety! I am sure I will reference this book many times over the next few years.
Is this my way of announcing we are having a baby in August? Yes. Yes it is.
Is this my way of announcing we are having a baby in August? Yes. Yes it is.
I enjoyed Emily Oster's writing and especially the sense of humor she brings to a book about data and decision making. I'm not sure I'm really the ideal audience for this book as I'm very much not an economist and don't especially feel the need to think like one. A lot of the decisions in this book my wife and I have already made up our mind about anyway and the data didn't really sway us. Often it confirmed that I feel good about what we decided which is helpful I guess. There was a lot of explanation of statistical concepts which i consider mts literate enough in to not need it explained repe why a correlation may not indicate a causation, for example. And a lot of the time i just didn't care abo the deta of how a study was conducted. Im reading this book to outsource understanding that stuff. Anyway this is not bad but less helpful to me than Parenthood the Swedish Way (which I read first—possibly the reason it was more helpful).
Love this book - wish there was more in-depth information in parts, though that is more due to a lack of reliable research than to the author skipping things!
This book is great at giving you an outline of all the parenting methods and theories for the infant and toddler years. There is data outlining every recommendation and its a great jumping off point for researching more about parenting methods. However, it was just lacking a bit for me. A lot of the topics discussed just didn't have much data either way so it left me with more questions than answers. I now have a to-do list of
much more reading since this was very broad and surface-level.
Favorite quote:
"Parenting cannot be about thinking about every possible eventuality, every possible misstep. Sometimes, you just need to let it go."
much more reading since this was very broad and surface-level.
Favorite quote:
"Parenting cannot be about thinking about every possible eventuality, every possible misstep. Sometimes, you just need to let it go."
The book is nice in theory, but so much of the research is inconclusive that it’s too difficult to leave with any solid, evidence based information.
Wow, talk about picking and choosing your data. Deeply biased on many issues. You'll have to do your own research after all.
With 2 and 5 year olds at home, many of the chapters were irrelevant but still interesting. Once I got to chapters that focused more on 2+ (daycare, literacy, discipline, potty training, etc) there was a lot more relevant information for me to focus on. I’ll definitely be looking into methods such as 1, 2, 3 Magic based on the author’s suggestion.
I like Emily’s style of writing and presenting stats on various parenting topics. She is open with what she has tried but also shares alternative options. I like that she gives readers the chance to review the studies and their results, rather than just citing one study to back up her opinion. I feel like I have more well-rounded knowledge on these topics than I might from other books.
Overall, I found Cribsheet to be pretty reassuring and informative but not necessarily a "must read" for expecting or new parents.
I did enjoy the amount of research and data that was pulled throughout the book, but net-net, the takeaways Oster shares are essentially that parents should simply make the choices that are best for their family!
I did enjoy the amount of research and data that was pulled throughout the book, but net-net, the takeaways Oster shares are essentially that parents should simply make the choices that are best for their family!