Taking care of your child after a divorce requires careful decisions across every aspect of their lives. You want to make informed decisions to maintain stability and protect their well-being. One such area is the child custody schedule.
There are numerous possible custody schedules. The most suitable one depends on a family’s unique factors. Here are three primary factors to consider when creating a custody schedule
Your child’s age
Infants and toddlers require constant contact with both parents. A custody schedule with frequent, shorter visits, such as a 2-2-3 schedule, often works best for them.
School-age children typically benefit from a schedule with fewer transitions to support school routines, but also one that allows them to spend more time with both parents — for example, a 2-2-5-5 or alternating weeks. Teens generally need a flexible schedule to accommodate their independence, social life, extracurricular activities and job, such as alternating weeks.
Your child’s needs should also be considered. How do they respond to change, regardless of age? Do they have special needs? What is their daily schedule?
Your work schedules
You and your co-parent need to develop a parenting plan that aligns with your work schedules. Doing this can save you from constant last-minute rescheduling and heavily relying on third-party childcare. Accordingly, you can better spend quality time with your child and maintain peaceful co-parenting.
Physical distance between the two homes
The physical distance between the two homes and the distance between the homes and the child’s school are crucial. A custody schedule that requires your child to travel for more than an hour to the other home or to school every few days can be stressful.
Creating a child custody schedule should be approached from the right angle. Get more information to choose a schedule that protects your child.
