r/ScienceBasedParenting

Hi all! Welcome to the new , a place to ask questions related to parenting and receive answers based on science, share relevant research, and discuss theories. We want to make this sub a fun and welcoming place that fosters a vibrant, scientifically-based community for parents.

We are a team of five moderators to help keep the sub running smoothly, , , , , and . We are a mix of scientists, healthcare professionals, and parents with an interest in science. Let us know if you have any questions!

Updated Rules

1. Be respectful. Discussions and debates are welcome, but must remain civilized. Inflammatory content is prohibited. Do not make fun of or shame others, even if you disagree with them.

2. Read the linked material before commenting. Make sure you know what you are commenting on to avoid misunderstandings.

3. Please check post flair before responding and respect the author's preferences. All top level comments on posts flaired "Question - Link To Research Required" must include at least one link to peer-reviewed literature. Comments violating this rule will be automatically removed. Likewise, if you reply to a top level comment with additional or conflicting information, a link to peer-reviewed research is also required. This does not apply to secondary comments simply discussing the information. For other post types, including links to peer-reviewed sources in comments is highly encouraged, but not mandatory.

4. All posts must include appropriate flair. Please choose the right flair for your post to encourage the correct types of responses. Check the wiki on post flair descriptions for more information. Posts cannot be submitted without flair, and posts using flair inappropriately or not conforming to the specified format will be removed. The title of posts with the flair “Question - Link To Research Required” or “Question - No Link To Research Required” must be a question. For example, an appropriate title would be “What are the risks of vaginal birth after cesarean?”, while “VBAC” would not be an appropriate title for this type of post. Similarly, the title of posts with the “Hypothesis” flair must be a hypothesis and those with the "Debate" flair must state clearly what is to be debated.

5. General discussion/questions must be posted in the weekly General Discussion Megathread. This includes anything that doesn't fit into the specified post flair types. The General DIscussion Megathread will be posted weekly on Monday.

6. Linked sources must be research. This is primarily peer-reviewed articles published in scientific journals, but may also include a Cochrane Review. Please refrain from linking directly to summaries of information put out by a governmental organization unless the linked page includes citations of primary literature. Parenting books, podcasts, and blogs are not peer reviewed and should not be referenced as though they are scientific sources of information, although it is ok to mention them if it is relevant. For example, it isn't acceptable to say "Author X says that Y is the way it is," but you could say "If you are interested in X topic, I found Y's book Z on the topic interesting." Posts sharing research must link directly to the published research, not a press release about the study.

7. Do not ask for or give individualized medical advice. General questions such as “How can I best protect a newborn from RSV?” are allowed, however specific questions such as "What should I do to treat my child with RSV?" or “What is this rash?” or “Why isn’t my child sleeping?” are not allowed. Nothing posted here constitutes medical advice. Please reach out to the appropriate professionals with any medical concern.

8. No self promotion. Do not use this as a place to advertise or sell a product, service, podcast, book, etc.

Explanation of Post Flair

1. Sharing Peer-Reviewed Research. This post type is for sharing a direct link to a study and any questions or comments one has about the study. The intent is for sharing information and discussion of the implications of the research. The title should be la brief description of the findings of the linked research.

2. Question - Link To Research Required. The title of the post must be the question one is seeking research to answer. The question cannot be asking for advice on one’s own very specific parenting situation, but needs to be generalized enough to be useful to others. For example, a good question would be “How do nap schedules affect infant nighttime sleep?” while “Should I change my infant’s nap schedule?” is not acceptable. Top level answers must link directly to peer-reviewed research.

3. Question - No Link To Research Required. This is intended to be the same as "Question - Link To Research Required" but without the requirement of linking directly to research. All top level comments must still be based on peer-reviewed research. This post type is for those who want to receive a wider array of responses (i.e. including responses from people who may not have time at that moment to grab the relevant link) who will accept the responsibility to look up the referred research themselves to fact-check.

4. Debate. Intended for questions such as “Is there more evidence for theory X or theory Y?”. The title of the post must include the topic(s) to be debated.

5. Hypothesis. A hypothesis you have that you want to discuss with others in the context of existing research. The title of the post must be the hypothesis.