Study: New moms apt to alter Web habits

Women change their Web habits more than men when they become parents, according to a new study by an Internet market research group.

ComScore Networks found that family community sites and home furnishings retailers attracted the highest percentage of new and expectant moms. Toy retailers then porn sites, respectively, garnered the highest concentration of dads.

ComScore spokesman Max Kalehoff said gaming, porn and sports sites have always been popular among young men. That trend doesn't seem to change much immediately before or after they have children.

"It's kind of business as usual for the men, except for buying toys," Kalehoff said.

New and expectant moms, however, are more likely to visit child-related sites, including Babiesrus.com, ParentsPlace.com and BabyCenter.com. Sites that offer fragrances and coupons also remain popular among women who are pregnant or new moms.

Mothers in particular make up one of the fastest-growing Web segments, and they're also among the biggest online spenders.

The study examined the surfing habits of people who had become new parents in the past six months or were expecting a new baby in the next six months. According to ComScore, 7.1 million U.S. Internet users were new or expectant parents in the first quarter of 2002.