The Inequality of Parenting Choices

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Rajshadi: It's hard to think that these kind of patterns of inequality don't have something to do with circumstance. He says the challenge is as a parent, you're going to make these choices and you want to make them in a way that you are happy with. Rajshadi: I would say maybe it doesn't matter which choice you make, but it's not good if every choice you then feel like you didn't do it right.

Economist and author Emily Oster of Brown University talks about her book Cribsheet with EconTalk host Russ Roberts. Oster explores what the data and evidence can tell us about parenting in areas such as breastfeeding, sleep habits, discipline, vaccination, and food allergies. Oster often finds that commonly held views on some of these topics are not well supported by the evidence while on others, the evidence appears decisive. Oster thoughtfully explores the challenges of using empirical work and balances our sometimes ignorance with common sense.