The ongoing story baby formula shortage in the U.S. has left many parents scrambling to find enough to feed their children. The shortage started after a critical manufacturing plant shut down and some products were recalled. That Abbott nutrition plant in Michigan reopened last week but the company warns it could still take nearly two more months before much of the formula is back on store shelves.

To help explain how any of this could happen, what parents should do, and what the data shows for the decades-old debate about breastfeeding versus formula, we spoke with economist, New York Times bestselling author, and mother Emily Oster.

Time magazine recently named her one of its "100 most influential people" of the year, citing her data-driven and popular advice about parenting and pregnancy in her books "Expecting Better" "Cribsheet" and "The Family Firm." And now, she's sharing the latest data-driven information with us, too.

This episode is brought to you by kiwico.com (Listen for the discount code) and Pampers.com

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