Cribsheet: A Data-Driven Guide to Better, More Relaxed Parenting, From Birth to Preschool

Economist Oster (Expecting Better) goes beyond the anecdotal to give parents of babies and toddlers both the data and the theoretical framework they need to make informed choices about raising their children. Among the issues addressed: vaccination (the data say yes, emphatically); when to introduce potential food allergens (early exposure to peanuts probably reduces allergies); and screen time (not useful for helping a child learn until he or she is three, and then the data are inconclusive). Along the way, Oster also introduces useful concepts like “Bayesian statistics,” which involves starting with an existing personal belief and then applying new data to see if it still seems valid. She encourages parents to think about opportunity costs (letting a toddler watch TV for an hour to give the parent a break can be worth the potential downside) and shares the “best parenting advice I’ve ever gotten”—a pediatrician telling her, in response to her questions about myriad possible emergencies befalling her daughter, “Just try not to think about that.” Parents new and old will find reassurance in this commonsense approach. (Apr.)