Sleep
Sleep deprivation makes every other parenting problem harder, so this is the highest-leverage thing to fix. The challenge isn't finding a sleep-training method. It's picking one and sticking with it.
Our pick
Precious Little Sleep
Covers the full range of methods, from gentle to cry-it-out, and helps you choose the one that fits your kid and your tolerance. The most useful thing we read on the topic.
Check price on Amazon →Unsure about sleep training itself? The evidence is reassuring: it works, and it doesn't cause lasting harm.
The gear that actually helped
Blackout curtains
The cheapest sleep upgrade there is. Dark room, longer mornings.
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Hatch Rest
White noise plus a programmable "OK to wake" light. We use it every single night.
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Noise-canceling headphones
For you, not the baby. Makes check-in intervals survivable.
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Nanit baby monitor
Check on them without opening the door and restarting the whole process.
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Potty Training
The hardest part of potty training is deciding when to start, and the data says the later you start, the faster it goes. Kids who start around 3 are typically done in under two weeks.
Our pick
Oh Crap! Potty Training
The method we used. It's sold as a long weekend, but expect it to take longer. The framework is solid even if the writing meanders. Give it a few months before you judge how it's going.
Check price on Amazon →Worried you've waited too long? The data says you haven't. There's no magic window you're going to miss.
The gear that actually helped
Screens
The evidence on screens is mixed, and probably not as alarming as the discourse suggests. Our approach is to be intentional without being rigid: sometimes screens buy you 20 minutes to cook dinner, and that's fine. There's no gadget to buy here.
Worth reading
Cribsheet
If you want the actual data on screen time, along with every other 0–3 flashpoint, Emily Oster's Cribsheet has the clearest treatment we've found.
Check price on Amazon →Further Reading
A lot of the perspective on this page is informed by ParentData, Emily Oster's data-driven parenting resource. If you want to go deeper on any topic, these two cut through the noise with actual data:
For ages 0–3
Cribsheet
Sleep, feeding, screens, daycare: what the data actually says about the decisions everyone has opinions on.
Check price on Amazon →If you're still expecting
Expecting Better
The pregnancy book we recommend to everyone. It separates the rules with evidence behind them from the ones without.
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