How the cost-of-living crisis affects families with small children

By Sahra Sancar and Maria Segura

Over the past year, the consumer price index (CPI) has risen to extortionate rates, the most recent being 10.5% in December 2022 according to the Office for National Statistics. This has meant that families with many mouths to feed have faced the brunt of inflation the most, everyday essentials like baby food, nappies, and baby wipes are becoming too expensive to buy. 

Single-parent households are struggling to make ends meet and providing for their children has become a huge worry for parents who are going without food in order to make sure their children are fed and looked after. 

Stacey Taylor, 34, a cleaner from Islington is a single mother to her two children aged three and five. Even before the cost of living crisis, she could only just about afford to buy the necessities for her family. 

However recently this has been made much more difficult. “I’ve been finding it so hard to buy anything really. I have two young children to feed and the prices of everything just keep going up. It’s becoming impossible to live,” she said. 

“Even things like fruit and vegetables are so expensive, I want to be able to feed my children healthy meals but ready meals are so much cheaper, especially at Asda with their new cheaper yellow range.”

Asda’s yellow ‘Just Essentials’ range claims that you can feed a family of four with seven recipes, all for under £20, using their products. It has been a huge success among those who have been affected the most by inflation.

Lara Bowman, 42 is a stay-at-home mum to three young children aged eight, 10, and 12. She explains that she has had to make several changes to the family’s lifestyle to stay afloat.

“Each of my children used to go to different hobby clubs like ballet and orchestra which they really enjoyed. But now my husband and I had to stop that cause we can’t afford it like we used to.” She expressed how sad this made her feel as she wants to give her children the best childhood.  

James Smith, a researcher at The Resolution Foundation, told the Independent: “Inflation has hit double digits earlier than expected off the back of the highest food price inflation in over two decades, and is set to continue climbing as energy bills soar this winter.”