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Economist Emily Oster transformed parenting literature by applying data analysis to decisions most books treated as black-and-white rules. After becoming pregnant in 2010, she found herself frustrated with pregnancy recommendations that came without explanations—why no sushi? Why limit coffee? As someone trained to evaluate research, she began investigating the evidence behind these directives, eventually writing "Expecting Better" and subsequent bestsellers that have sold over a million copies. She now runs the wildly popular newsletter and website parentdata (they even have a bot that can help you with those late night parenting AI searches).

What makes Oster's approach revolutionary isn't just her ability to interpret research, but her fundamental belief that data should inform rather than dictate parenting choices. "I think my view about data always is that it is not bossy," she explains. Her work restores agency to parents who want to make thoughtful decisions based on both evidence and their personal circumstances, preferences, and knowledge of their specific children.

During our conversation, Oster tackles controversial topics with nuance—revealing that the best studies show minimal differences between children in high-quality daycare versus at-home care, with these small differences fading by elementary school. She debunks extreme claims about attachment theory and breastfeeding, areas where she believes parents face unnecessary pressure beyond what research actually supports. Most reassuringly, she emphasizes that "a huge share of choices are fine" and that what truly matters in early childhood is much simpler than many parents realize: stability, love, and basic needs being met.

Oster is a Professor of Economics at Brown University and the author of Expecting Better, Cribsheet and The Family Firm. She holds a PhD in Economics from Harvard. Prior to being at Brown she was on the faculty at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.

Oster’s books analyze the data behind choices in pregnancy and parenting. Expecting Better analyzes the data behind many common pregnancy rules, and aims to improve decision-making for pregnant women. Cribsheet does the same for early childhood — what does the evidence really say on breastfeeding, co-sleeping or potty training. Finally, The Family Firm takes this approach to parenting in the early school years, looking at data on school, extracurriculars, sleep and also providing a framework to make unexpected decisions and address the logistical challenges of this period of parenting.

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