Chicago—Moms plan to get a jump on holiday gift shopping this year, buying for Christmas and Hanukkah even before Halloween, according to a new study from the Marketing to Moms Coalition, "Marketing to Moms Report, Holiday Shopping 2007."

Nearly half of the moms polled (45 percent) said they would kick off their holiday shopping in September and October, while another 39 percent will hold off until November. Just 13 percent will wait until December to do their shopping.

The average mom will spend $700 on holiday gifts this year, with moms of teens spending slightly more ($835), and moms of children under six spending slightly less ($664).

Nearly three quarters of the moms polled (72 percent) plan to give their kids cash as a gift. According to the report, moms give an average of $50 to their kids for gift-shopping. Teens get slightly more ($74), and younger kids get about $37.

"One of the trends we're seeing among mothers across the board is giving children more of a role and more responsibility for the family," Michal Clements, Marketing to Moms Coalition board member and Insight to Action managing director, said in a statement. "Whether it's cleaning up the house, deciding what movie the family should see or what to give their siblings for the holidays, empowering kids to make their own choices is a big part of parenting today."

The Internet will once again play a big role for moms doing holiday shopping, with 62 percent planning to make at least some online purchases, and 14 percent intending to do most of their shopping online.

"Heavy online-shopping moms are most likely to be the first to talk about a product and discuss information with other parents," Clements said. "Our research shows that these moms spend a lot more than other shopping moms, so reaching this group of women can make a big difference for retailers' holiday sales."

The study also shows that at least half of the moms who do their shopping online plan to spend an average of $980 this year, compared with the average of $700 other moms will spend.

The report—which was conducted in early August via online invitation—is available at no cost through the Marketing to Moms Coalition' Web site, Marketingtomomscoalition.org.