A quarter of families say they find it difficult to make ends meet and 43 per cent of them say they have cut back on basics.
The findings are contained in the growing up in Ireland study which will be published later.
The study looks at how 5 year olds and their families are faring across a range of areas including the transition to school, well-being, and diet along with family circumstances.
Research Professor at the ESRI James Williams, is the Principal Investigator of the Growing Up in Ireland project - he says they study also shows that 20 per cent of our five year olds are overweight or obese
