Making Do: Gaps
Caregivers piece together wages, government income supports, help from community organizations, family, and strangers online to feed their children. They budget and use coupons, go into debt, take on side hustles, and sometimes resort to theft to make do. Sometimes there are still gaps. What happens in these gaps?
“I would go weeks eating PB&J for every meal, so my son has actual food to eat.”
—Survey Participant
“My children never go without food, and I try hard to provide them with balanced meals, even if they are eating the cheapest options out there… Their dad and I go without if needed so they can have healthy options and plenty of food. This can be hard as I’ve been pregnant and/or nursing. It’s an emotional challenge to have to prioritize myself so my body can feed babies (inside or outside) while we also have small children to feed. I’d rather go without myself, but obviously while a baby is dependent upon me for their entire nourishment, I need to change my thinking and prioritize my own diet.”
—Survey Participant
39% of survey participants prioritized buying their children food instead of paying for other basic needs.
Allyssa, Canada
Caregivers sacrifice their own eating, or other basic needs to make feeding children a priority. They also worry about their baby’s food supply and at time need to adapt how they feed their baby.
We learned from the survey participants that because they didn’t have enough money…
…49% worried about running out of formula
…23% ran out of formula and couldn’t get more
…21% fed their child something they didn’t want to
…18% skipped or stretched feeding times
…18% felt their child was hungry
…17% added more water to formula than instructions indicated
