The differences between dads and moms when it comes to feeding children

In a survey of 500 people by Vorwerk Austria and the opinion research institute TQS, half of the parents surveyed said that both legal guardians provide food. However, in more than a third of the cases (37 percent) it was only the mothers.

If you ask mothers individually, the distribution looks completely different: 51 percent of them said they were solely responsible. In the individual surveys, in only one percent was the father solely responsible for nutrition. “Mothers are – as anchored in the classic role model – largely responsible for the care of children. Even if some fathers are already committed to healthy nutrition for their children, there is clearly room for improvement,” interpreted Philipp Kammerer from Vorwerk Austria.

One warm, home-cooked meal per day

According to the survey, it is more important for mothers that their children eat a warm, home-cooked meal at least once a day (men: 64 percent, women: 78 percent) and primarily drink water (men: 41 percent, women: 60 percent). They also cook significantly more often: 80 percent of women do this once a day and 60 percent of men. In women, children consume fruit more often (women: 82 percent, men: 68 percent) and vegetables (women: 68 percent, fathers: 52 percent).

More fast food among men

Men, on the other hand, eat out more often in restaurants with their children (men: 45 percent, women: 31 percent) and consume fast food (men: 42 percent, women: 32 percent) and ready meals (men: 58 percent, women: 43 percent) more often. . Fathers also order more often from the delivery service (men: 31 percent, women: 16 percent).

Another trend is the influence of time resources on children’s healthy eating. There are differences between single parents and non-single parents. According to this, single parents eat out more often in restaurants with their children (single parents: 41 percent, non-single parents: eight percent). Fast food is also becoming more of a focus: 33 percent of single parents said “at least several times a week”. In comparison, only nine percent of non-single parents said this. Children of single parents consume ready meals more often (single parents: 38 percent, non-single parents: 14 percent). In addition, single parents order more often from the delivery service (single parents: 51 percent, non-single parents: 17 percent). “It’s exciting how much time resources play a role – nutrition is therefore a major time factor in everyday family life, which parents manage as best as possible depending on the resources available,” says Kammerer.