Using a Shared Parenting Custody Calendar

A parenting custody calendar is an important tool for divorced parents to make co-parenting easier. 

By WomansDivorce Staff

Having an easy way to keep up with which weekends the kids will spend with your ex and where they will spend the different holidays can save a lot of last-minute hassles. You can also keep notes on doctor's appointments, visitation issues, and anything else going on in your children's lives.

If this sounds like something you could use, 2Houses is a great calendar system designed specifically to handle the various visitation and custody issues.

What can this parenting custody calendar do?

2Houses is an app and online program designed specifically for divorced parents to document everything involving their children (We may earn a commission for purchases made using our links). For example, it can be used to: 

• Create a parenting schedule - If you haven't established a parenting schedule yet, you can create different plans (either using the pre-defined samples or create one from scratch) to show to your ex. This is easier and clearer than writing everything out by hand. Plus it's simple to update when you finally settle on a plan that will work for everyone.
   
• View financial Information - If you and your ex share expenses, you can track who pays what. This can be especially helpful when it comes to paying for extra-curricular activities, assorted fees, and unreimbursed medical expenses. You can also see at t glance what needs to be paid. There is even a section to track child support payments should you ever need that information to enforce your court order.
   
• Document all the important details - If it looks like your custody case will be going to court, the journal and record-keeping functions will help your case immensely because it will give you a detailed report of all things that happen in your children's lives. You can track time-differences and the reasons why visitation didn't occur as scheduled. Plus, it comes in handy to write down notes if your child is sick or having problems in school.
   
• View the parenting plan calendar at a glance - There is a calendar function that makes building a visual calendar a snap. It's color-coded so you (and the kids) can readily see who has the kids on certain days. You can add reminders or update your calendar simply and easily and even export it to your computer. You can print out copies to give to your ex, hang on the wall, or take with you to court. You can also synch it with calendar apps such as Google Calendar, Apple iCal, Outlook or in a smartphone calendar.
   
• Keep track of vacations and holidays - Since summer vacation and holiday visitation over-ride regular visitation, this software makes it easy to document everything so there are no misunderstandings.

If you're more of a visual type person, you can view color-coded charts showing the actual dates and times the kids spent with both you and your ex. And you can even print out this information to have a physical copy.

The following articles also have information about visitation and using a shared parenting custody calendar: 

• Using A Parenting Plan Calendar 
• Online Child Custody Calendar 
• Considering 50/50 Custody? 
• Parenting Time Visitation Schedule 
• Preparing for Child Custody Battles