There are so many facets of co-parenting that it is hard to imagine how you can keep up with it all and not be in constant communication with your ex all day long. Luckily with today’s technology, co-parenting has become more streamlined than ever. There are several helpful apps that can fit the needs of your specific family situation regarding co-parenting and scheduling. These apps can help you stay in compliance with schedules, share medical information, and track child support. They can also help decrease the need for direct and constant communication with your ex, as both of you have access to the information.
Apps such as Our Family Wizard, 2 Houses, and CoParently are great for families that have an effective and working system in place regarding co-parenting. These apps let you sync interactive calendars, manage the kids’ schedules, track expenses and reimbursement, store children’s information securely, and even direct message through the app. This feature stores a secure tracking/documentation of exchanges between you and your ex if needed. These apps definitely keep the double house hold system informed and up to date regarding the kids.
If you have a more parallel parenting style with your co-parent, meaning your are mostly parenting separately except when legally necessary, or if you have a contentious relationship with your ex, an app like CoParenter would be helpful. This app provides the ability to communicate, share schedules, and store kids information like the other apps, but it has a high priority on documentation for legal reasons. It offers legal support and 24/7 support for high conflict situations. It also has a library of materials that help explain legal terms.
Other apps, such as Cozi and Parentship are not specifically tailored to divorce, but can also be helpful. These apps allow you to sync your calendar with other people in your family, including grandparents and other caretakers. This may be very helpful when there are multiple caretakers between the two houses.
Finally, there are apps that are very specific to tracking one area of co-parenting only. Apps such as SupportPay and Custody Connection allow you to specifically communicate about one area as needed. SupportPay tracks child support and/or alimony payments, as well as the children’s expenses (medical, educational, extra curricular etc.). Custody Connection allows you to track and record child exchange times, changes to the custody arrangements, and keeps records of missed visits. Each of these are very specific, but can be very beneficial if needed for your co-parenting situation.
Technology gives us the ability to make co-parenting a much simpler process. These tools help both parents stay involved and up to date in their children’s lives. Keeping the communication open and simplified can often lead to a more satisfying and cooperative co-parenting relationship.