
ParentData with Emily Oster
Parenting is full of decisions — starting the moment you learn you’re pregnant (sometimes before) and continuing indefinitely. For the past decade, Emily Oster has been a guide through the challenges of pregnancy and parenthood using data. She translates the latest scientific research into answers to the questions people have in their day-to-day lives. ParentData brings Emily together with other experts in areas of pregnancy and parenting to talk about some of the most complicated of these issues, from labor induction to food allergies to parenting through a divorce. Each conversation brings us closer to Emily’s mission: to create the most informed generation of parents by providing high-quality data that they can trust, whenever they need it.
Latest episodes

Sep 28, 2022 • 26min
Bonus: Ask a Pediatric Urologist
I did this interview on Instagram Live with Dr. Liza Aguiar. Liza is a pediatric urologist and when we asked you to submit questions for her, you sent us hundreds. In this conversation, we were able to dive deep into some of your questions about circumcisions, daytime potty training, nighttime potty training and bedwetting, and her real thoughts about Miralax.
ParentData relaunched in September 2023. Please enjoy this episode of the earlier version of the podcast from our archives. You can read transcripts and listen to all of our episodes at parentdata.org/podcast.
Want more on data, pregnancy, and parenting? Subscribe to the ParentData newsletter for free at parentdata.org.

Sep 21, 2022 • 45min
Bonus: The Power of Data & Its Limits
I'm releasing a talk that I gave at this year’s SXSW EDU conference. It is my hope that everything I write gives you more confidence talking about data and bringing it into your decision-making. This talk focuses on what we can (and cannot) learn from data and how to use it in our everyday lives. If you've ever wondered what it's like as one of my students at Brown University, here's a peek into that.
ParentData relaunched in September 2023. Please enjoy this episode of the earlier version of the podcast from our archives. You can read transcripts and listen to all of our episodes at parentdata.org/podcast.
Want more on data, pregnancy, and parenting? Subscribe to the ParentData newsletter for free at parentdata.org.

Sep 12, 2022 • 29min
How to Talk to Kids About Sex with Miranda Featherstone
An interview with social worker and writer Miranda Featherstone on eggs, sperm, and sex ed. How can you discuss sex and where babies come from with your kids in a way that works for you and works for them?
ParentData relaunched in September 2023. Please enjoy this episode of the earlier version of the podcast from our archives. You can read transcripts and listen to all of our episodes at parentdata.org/podcast.
Want more on data, pregnancy, and parenting? Subscribe to the ParentData newsletter for free at parentdata.org.

Aug 29, 2022 • 26min
(Re)Creating School for Every Child with Michael Horn
We’re heading into back-to-school week in my neck of the woods, and in honor of that, we have an interview with education expert Michael Horn about his new book, From Reopen to Reinvent: (Re)Creating School for Every Child.
ParentData relaunched in September 2023. Please enjoy this episode of the earlier version of the podcast from our archives. You can read transcripts and listen to all of our episodes at parentdata.org/podcast.
Want more on data, pregnancy, and parenting? Subscribe to the ParentData newsletter for free at parentdata.org.

Jul 11, 2022 • 26min
Understanding Gun Violence with Megan Ranney
After the horrifying events in Uvalde, many people wrote to ask about guns, about their child’s safety, about what they could do. I didn’t think I had the expertise to talk about this, but I thought immediately of Megan Ranney. She’s a practicing emergency physician, Academic Dean of the School of Public Health at Brown University, and a longtime researcher on sticky social problems, including violence, mental health, and technology. She’s also a friend, and I was very grateful she agreed to come talk with me about the data behind guns and gun violence.
ParentData relaunched in September 2023. Please enjoy this episode of the earlier version of the podcast from our archives. You can read transcripts and listen to all of our episodes at parentdata.org/podcast.
Want more on data, pregnancy, and parenting? Subscribe to the ParentData newsletter for free at parentdata.org.

Apr 12, 2022 • 22min
Pelvic Health with Emily Oster and the Vagina Whisperer
I interviewed Dr. Sara Reardon, The Vagina Whisperer, who talks on Instagram and online about all the pelvic floor issues that we just do not talk about enough. And I’ve got her here to discuss what’s normal and what’s not, and how important it is for everyone to be aware of their pelvic health (and get help when they need it).
ParentData relaunched in September 2023. Please enjoy this episode of the earlier version of the podcast from our archives. You can read transcripts and listen to all of our episodes at parentdata.org/podcast.
Want more on data, pregnancy, and parenting? Subscribe to the ParentData newsletter for free at parentdata.org.
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