Emily Oster Talks Science, Vibes, and the Nights Where Nothing Works

"You don't have what it takes." That's the sentence that ran through Dr. Becky's head the night her baby threw up an entire bottle on her, minutes before she was due out the door. It's not a sentence parenting experts are “supposed to” have. Dr. Becky sits down with Emily Oster — economist, Brown University professor, founder of ParentData, and author of Expecting Better, Cribsheet, The Family Firm, and The Unexpected — to play a game: Science, or Vibes? They sort real claims parents hear all the time, on peanuts and allergy prevention, breastfeeding and attachment, sleep training, screen time, developmental milestones, and whether ChatGPT or Claude should be your parenting oracle at 11pm. Then they talk about the limits of expertise. Emily on teaching a business school class while her daughter was in the ER. Dr. Becky on the night her own psychology training couldn't talk her out of feeling like a failure. Their careers are built on having answers, and they describe the nights neither of them had one. * Looking for more support navigating pregnancy, postpartum, and life with a new baby? Good Inside Baby gives you practical tools, scripts, and expert guidance for the moments that can feel most overwhelming in early parenthood. For a limited time, new subscribers to Good Inside get a year of Parent Data free! Thank you to our partners for making this episode possible: Frida: Shop Frida’s bath time collection at Amazon, Target, and Walmart today LMNT: Get a free gift with your purchase at drinkLMNT.com/goodinside Little Spoon: Get 50% off your first order at littlespoon.com/rattled with code RATTLED Oso & Me: Use the code OSOGOOD15 for 15% off clothes newborn through age ten Learn more about Good Inside.Follow Dr. Becky on Instagram. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.