Max Mednik
  • Home
  • About
  • Interests
    • Angel investing
    • Magic
    • Scuba Diving
  • Blog
  • Contact

Readings and musings

Notes on Cribsheet by Emily Oster

10/20/2020

0 Comments

 
Picture
I just finished reading Cribsheet: A Data-Driven Guide to Better, More Relaxed Parenting, from Birth to Preschool by Emily Oster. It was sort of a meta-analysis of a bunch of published research and scientific studies on various parenting questions related to the early years. It was written by an economist (whose husband is also an economist) who loves to look at data and approaches a lot of publications with a healthy dose of skepticism.

It was a concise tactical summary of each major area of early parenting and where there is enough quality evidence to suggest one approach is better than another and where there isn't. An important point is that throughout all the decisions she discusses, there is a large role for a parent's own preferences, and she points out how each child, parent, and family situation is different, and that usually is a much bigger determining factor than anything else.

The book covered a lot of things I've read about in other places, and her list of references and books she refers to is pretty good. Below are my limited notes (my "crib sheet") on Cribsheet.

Intro
Economist approach using data to parenting decisions in first 3 years

Part 1 in the beginning

1 first 3 days
Baths
Circumcision
Rooming in at hospital benefits not worth it so should get the sleep
Short supplementation with formula to maintain weight ok
Delay cord cutting good
Vitamin K shot good

2 wait you want me to take it home
Swaddling worth it
Limit germ exposure in very beginning 

3 take the mesh underwear home

Part 2 the first year

4 breastfeeding 
Some health benefits for kids and mom

5 breastfeeding how to
Skin to skin helps

6 sleep position and location
Sleep in own bed in your room first 4 months then in its room

7 organize your baby
Sleep schedule and nap dropping times

8 vaccination yes please

9 stay at home or at work
No difference in effects to child

10 who should take care of baby
Nanny or grandparent a little better earlier and daycare a little better later

11 sleep training
Cry it out works scientifically and improves attachment and feeling of security and happiness for kids and parents
Bedtime routine
Key is consistency

12 beyond the boobs, solid food
Offer variety
Don’t give alternate if kid doesn’t want some food

Part 3 from baby to toddler

13 physical milestones
Late walking doesn’t predict anything bad
Kids in winter sick 50% of time. Average cold lasts 14 days and kids get 6-8 per year 

14 tv
TV leads to bad outcomes
Educational programs don’t do much
Language delays from more access to phone

15 language development 
Late talking slightly predictive of later learning issues but not much

16 potty training
Earlier u start, longer it takes to complete

17 discipline
Positive parenting
Age appropriate expectations 

18 education 
Reading to child makes huge difference
Ask open ended questions while reading

Part 4 home front

19 internal politics
Marriage gets worse after kids
Unequal chore allocation
Less intimacy
Sleep huge determinant of marital happiness
Marriage checkup and counseling

20 expansions
Not much science on what’s optimal
Quantity quality trade off
Birth order matters. Later siblings get worse/less education/attention due to less time
No differences in personality or harm to only children
Large birth spacing better from older child

21 growing up and letting go
Older kids harder problems
Just do your best and try not to think too much about it

References
123 magic
The incredible years
0 Comments

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    Archives

    June 2021
    May 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    April 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    May 2019
    March 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012
    February 2012
    January 2012
    December 2011
    November 2011
    October 2011
    September 2011
    August 2011
    July 2011
    June 2011
    May 2011
    April 2011
    March 2011
    February 2011
    January 2011
    December 2010
    November 2010
    October 2010
    September 2010
    August 2010
    July 2010
    June 2010
    May 2010
    April 2010
    March 2010
    February 2010

    Categories

    All
    Angel Investing
    Cacti
    Cars
    China
    Community Service
    Culture
    Design
    Djing
    Dogs
    Education
    Entertainment
    Entrepreneurship
    Family
    Finance
    Food
    Google
    Happiness
    Incentives
    Investment Banking
    Judaism
    Law
    Lighting
    Magic
    Marketing
    Medicine
    Networking
    Nolabound
    Philosophy
    Professionalism
    Psychology
    Reading
    Real Estate
    Religion
    Romance
    Sales
    Science
    Shangri-La
    Social Entrepreneurship
    Social Media
    Sports
    Teams
    Technology
    Travel
    Turtles
    Ucla
    Venture Capital
    Web Services
    Weddings
    Zen

    Subscribe

    RSS Feed

Picture
Picture
  • Home
  • About
  • Interests
    • Angel investing
    • Magic
    • Scuba Diving
  • Blog
  • Contact