Information presented in a very accessible, reader-friendly manner. While it was useful to have the data behind current pregnancy/parenting trends presented, a lot of it was inconclusive, so I'm not sure how helpful it will be to parents, particularly those who are first-time parents.

Really appreciate the pragmatic approach Oster takes to a topic that is often very emotional. A breath of fresh air compared to other baby books that seem to be written to panic new parents.

Thank you to Penguin Press for a free review copy of Cribsheet. All opinions are my own.

My only regret about reading this book is that I didn’t read it sooner! My child is 2.5 and although there are relevant sections on toddlers (discipline, etc), I would’ve appreciated this earlier in my motherhood journey. As an economist, Oster takes a data-driven approach to parenting and shares the studies and her analysis with her readers. Many parenting books are simply one person’s opinion about the best way to raise a child. There’s not necessarily anything wrong with that, but I do appreciate the data driven, scientific approach taken here.

One additional aspect that I appreciated about this book is the summary included at the end of each chapter. It serves as a nice reminder of the key takeaways on each topic. I read this on my kindle, highlighted these sections, and plan to go back for kid #2! I definitely recommend this book for new parents through toddlerhood, but the earlier the better.

Terrific idea for a book, and well executed. I wish it had been around when my kids were littler! Research grounded advice on parenting is what we all wish we had at our fingertips.

Highlighted in Mother's Day column on "the Fourth Trimester" in Shelf Awareness for Readers:

Toward the end of my pregnancy, I picked up Great with Child (W.W. Norton, $15.95), a collection of letters from poet and author Beth Ann Fennelly (The Tilted World) to her newly pregnant friend. Full of insights large and small about what it means to shift from pregnant person to parent, this book made me realize that while I had spent much of my pregnancy reading about what to expect while pregnant, I was still entirely unsure of what to expect once I actually had a child. I loved science-minded Emily Oster's Expecting Better (Penguin Books, $17), so I quickly purchased her Cribsheet (Penguin Books, $18), which promised the same data-driven exploration of the many parenting decisions I'd face in my child's early years.

Do you have kids or are you interested in having them? Overwhelmed about all the conflicting reports on breastfeeding, daycare, and so on? This books is for you!

Emily Oster breaks down common assumptions about childrearing in easy to understand statistics, along with her own personal reflections on parenthood. I found it easy to read and balanced. She makes statistics interesting!

I had heard so much about this book and wasn't really sure what to expect - but I really enjoyed it. Instead of simply offering advice on parenting, Emily Oster dives into the data and gives parents strong evidence to inform the choices they make. In a world with so many perspectives and overwhelming options for parenting, I appreciated her approach so much. I would recommend this book to all new or expecting parents!

Finally a book that helps parents make sense of all the conflicting advice and information out there! And it's science-based! If parents actually have time to read a book, this one is a winner.

Many parenting books tend to go in one of two directions: very scientific or very emotionally based. Cribsheet is a great book for those of us who like data and statistics to back up decisions, and Emily Oster does an excellent job throughout balancing different viewpoints and interpreting the data that supports or refutes various claims..
Where I think this book would be most useful is to have in the home (or pick up from the library) as a reference to pick up when dealing with various parenting milestones. While it's packed with lots of fantastic information, it's not necessarily one that begs to be read as a whole, and instead would be more useful to have available when the time comes to make decisions.

I really enjoyed Oster's first book "Expecting Better" and I wish this book had been out when I had my son! It was a lot of information I already knew but would have really appreciated reading in the moment. She is very well researched so it's somewhat of a "boring' book but I love the information and statistics. It was harder to read in Kindle form with the graphs and I look forward to buying a hard copy when it comes out!

I loved Emily Oster's first book, Expecting Better, was an eye-opening look at pregnancy and definitely made me a calmer pregnant person. Cribsheet covered the fun of parenting not with anecdotes, but with statistics and data. I recommend this book to any parent who wants to be entertained while they learn some great tips!

I am so happy a book like this exists to break down the scientific evidence to help overwhelmed new parents who are constantly bombarded with conflicting information and opinions masquerading as facts.

The author explains what makes a good study, why sample size and randomness as important, and other guidelines that will help the reader critically assess scientific studies they encounter in the press. Teaching critical thinking skills is very important and deciphering media bias and scientific case studies is a challenge we could all use guidance with.

That said, I felt the chapters weren't organized well and led to some confusion at times. Since the audience is sleep-deprived new parents it's clear there needs to be some tweaking to edit down the sheer volume of words or make it more concise. I think with some final editing for clarity this can be a 5 star book.

This book is full of accessible information about issues related to parenting babies and toddlers.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2670887966?book_show_action=false&from_review_page=1

This book is great! So good to have a follow up to Expecting Better. I recommended this to all my pregnant friends. Really breaks down the pros and cons of all the confusing Mommy war banter.

Perfect primer for first time moms overwhelmed trying to navigate and make decisions among all the well-intentioned advice. Oster shares with parents what is worth stressing over and what you should ignore in the first few hours, days, months, and even years after birth. She has compiled the research but more helpfully interprets and analyzes the data to give parents peace of mind that they can make the most informed decision for their circumstances. I suspect most readers will feel satisfaction that they haven't royally screwed up their infant. Perfect for new parents of fans of Freakonomics!