Co-parenting after divorce can be a daunting task, especially when communication and cooperation are challenging between parents who are no longer together. However, there is a solution that can make this journey smoother and more manageable: co-parenting apps.
These apps, also known as custody apps, provide features such as shared calendars, printable messaging, customizable court documents, and other useful tools. By utilizing these apps, co-parents can collaborate peacefully, keeping lawyers and other professionals informed automatically.
Navigating co-parenting responsibilities post dissolved relationship requires effective communication and shared decision-making for the well-being of your children. Various apps are available that assist in organizing schedules, managing important documents, and keeping track of essential contacts.
We have compiled a list of court-approved parenting apps at different price points to support you and your ex-partner in enhancing communication and co-parenting skills (we do not have experience with all these apps and there may be others that are just as good).
Why Co-Parenting Apps are Important
These apps eliminate ambiguity by streamlining document collection, clarifying financial responsibilities, and ensuring effective communication between co-parents. Many of these apps can be utilized in court to facilitate a smoother time-sharing and co-parenting experience for adults and children.
Within these co-parenting apps, you can store and organize a wealth of information, making the time-sharing process less complicated. With a parenting app, you have a permanent digital account that keeps all parental responsibility-related information in one place, allowing you to make changes without starting from scratch. Additionally, these apps promote collaboration with the other parent about minor changes or time-sharing requests. These apps aim to reduce the need for constant returns to court and foster better communication for the benefit of everyone involved.
How do co-parenting apps work?
Co-parenting apps are shared tools through phone and/or web applications that improve communication and keep all essential information and documents in one accessible place. With a wide range of apps available, you can select the one that best suits your family’s circumstances. Using a co-parenting app can help make time-sharing organized and drama-free (or at least drama-light).
Choosing the best co-parenting app depends on your family’s specific needs and preferences. Whether you’re seeking a shared communication tool or a way to centralize important information, different apps cater to different requirements. Some apps offer free basic versions or trial periods, allowing you to test multiple options and find the one that works best for both co-parents.
Document organization
For instance, if your child is on medication and the other parent has been taking care of them for a few days, you can refer to the shared document containing medication details and doctor’s instructions to determine how many more days the medication needs to be administered. This eliminates the need for constant communication and ensures both parents have access to the necessary information.
Additionally, if there is a homework assignment that needs to be completed at the other parent’s home, you can upload it onto the app, ensuring that it gets done and, if required, reviewed by the other parent. With document-sharing capabilities, co-parents can effortlessly collaborate and stay informed without frequent communication or disruptions in their routines.
Streamline communication
Co-parenting apps offer messaging capabilities beyond traditional texting or emailing. These apps show the time messages are sent and received and indicate whether and when they have been read. This decreases the need for back-and-forth discussions about message delivery and receipt, reducing the potential for misunderstandings or disputes.
With messaging features, you can stay in touch with the other parent without constantly engaging in personal interactions, minimizing the risk of arguments or tension. Some apps even provide a spellchecker-like function that detects potentially negative messages and suggests alternative wording, helping prevent conflicts. Remember, if you can’t say something nice, the app can guide you toward constructive communication.
However, it is important to remember that while the app facilitates communication, it should not replace human interaction. It is important for your children to witness their parents communicating respectfully. Both co-parents should use the communication function solely for matters related to the children. Avoid using the app to discuss irrelevant topics and stay focused on your parenting responsibilities. After all, the app’s purpose is to prioritize the well-being of the kids.
Effective utilization of a co-parenting app relies on both parties’ active involvement. If only one person consistently inputs information, the app loses its purpose. Therefore, it is essential to establish shared goals for app usage and commit to regular interaction. Everyone involved should recognize the importance of staying connected positively and meaningfully, fostering a cooperative co-parenting environment.
Subscription and Free Co-parenting Apps
Co-parenting apps offer features for immediate family members and allow you to expand the user base to include grandparents, nannies, attorneys, and other individuals closely involved in your family’s life. Like a work calendar, these apps provide timely reminders of upcoming events, ensuring you are never caught off-guard. To help you navigate the array of options, we have compiled a list of popular co-parenting apps and their key features.
WeParent
Founded by Elena Krasnoperova, Ph.D. in Psychology from Stanford University, WeParent is an app designed to facilitate stress-free co-parenting by applying extensive psychological research on the impact of divorce on children. Focusing on reducing conflicts, WeParent allows parents to dedicate their energy to raising healthy, happy children. This all-in-one parenting organizer app offers a range of features to streamline co-parenting responsibilities.
WeParent helps you manage events, appointments, documents, expenses, custody schedules, and messaging, providing a centralized platform for effective communication and organization. With the ability to negotiate changes in custody schedules and share photos, notes, contacts, and important documents, WeParent ensures that all essential information is easily accessible. By consolidating these features in one place, WeParent aims to simplify co-parenting and allow parents to focus on nurturing their children’s well-being.
OurFamilyWizard
Developed by a divorced couple, OurFamilyWizard is a platform that maintains harmonious communication between co-parents. The app offers individual accounts for each parent, with the option to add additional accounts for third parties, such as grandparents, therapists, or mediators, at no extra cost. This feature ensures seamless communication and involvement of key individuals in the family’s dynamics.
One notable feature of OurFamilyWizard is the optional ToneMeter, which functions similar to a spellchecker. It detects negative tones in messages and suggests alternative wording to minimize conflict and avoid arguments. Moreover, the app logs all communication, providing easy access to accurate records that can be used in court proceedings if necessary.
Beyond communication tools, OurFamilyWizard offers a comprehensive suite of features to simplify co-parenting. It includes a shared calendar, an information bank, and an expense tracker, allowing parents to stay synchronized and manage important aspects of co-parenting efficiently.
2Houses
This app provides a range of features to streamline the management of custody schedules, children’s expenses, and essential information. With 2Houses, co-parents can easily organize and maintain a custody schedule, ensuring clarity and consistency for everyone involved. The app allows users to upload photos and notes, facilitating seamless sharing of memories and important updates.
2Houses offers a messaging service to enable efficient communication between co-parents. It also provides access to mediators via both web and mobile devices, fostering a supportive environment for conflict resolution and effective co-parenting. The app enables the exchange of necessary information, such as medical notes and school details, ensuring that both parents stay informed and involved.
One noteworthy aspect of 2Houses is its pricing structure. It offers a per-family pricing model, making it more affordable compared to other similar co-parenting apps. This ensures that both parents can access and benefit from the app’s features without incurring additional costs.
Cozi
Although not specifically designed for co-parenting, Cozi offers a user-friendly interface and impressive features that make it one of the top free co-parenting apps available. With Cozi, you can establish shared calendars, create to-do lists, and effortlessly share photos and recipes, all without unnecessary stress. The app’s simplicity and cool features make it an excellent choice for co-parents seeking an intuitive and efficient solution.
Cozi offers a basic version that is completely free, allowing users to explore its functionality without any financial commitment. This makes it an ideal option for those who want to try out a family calendar app before committing to a paid subscription. Moreover, Cozi’s shared calendar is accessible to anyone involved in the family dynamic, including kids, grandparents, and sitters. Users can receive reminders and view shared lists, ensuring everyone stays updated and informed.
CustodyXChange
The CustodyXChange online app provides Floridians with a platform to create personalized parenting plans and time-sharing schedules. Whether parents represent themselves or work with lawyers, settling or going to trial, CustodyXChange offers guidance, flexibility, and independence. Lawyers and family law experts commonly use this app and its software.
With CustodyXChange, users can leverage various features to enhance their co-parenting experience:
Present options to the other parent: The app allows you to showcase your preferred parenting plan and visual schedule, facilitating communication and expressing your concerns effectively. This helps identify areas of common ground and promotes collaboration.
Track actual parenting time: CustodyXChange’s parenting time tracker enables you to accurately monitor and compare the actual parenting time with the planned schedule. This information supports determining child support calculations and resolving time-sharing disputes. It becomes particularly valuable when temporary orders need modification or when assessing compliance with the court order after the case.
Organize other information for your case: The app keeps you organized by offering a parenting journal to note important dates, interactions, and data. You can upload files like text message screenshots or medical records and tag them for generating reports on specific issues. The app’s expense tracker allows you to track spending on your child in different categories, with the ability to add notes and upload supporting files.
Present information to the court: In hearings and trials, presenting well-prepared documents is crucial for conveying essential information and demonstrating your responsibility as a parent. CustodyXChange lets you showcase your parenting plan and calendar, helping the judge or magistrate understand your family’s situation. If the judge agrees with your plan and schedule, they may incorporate them into the final judgment.
Cut down on paperwork: CustodyXChange simplifies completing family law forms requiring a parenting plan. By attaching your CustodyXChange parenting plan and time-sharing calendar, you can save time and skip redundant sections in court paperwork, providing more flexibility.
Follow final orders: The app helps ensure compliance with court orders by transforming them into a shareable parenting calendar with push notifications. This feature assists in correctly adhering to the court-ordered time-sharing schedule, reducing the risk of being charged with contempt of court and facing potential penalties.
AppClose
This app understands that co-parenting involves more than just coordinating schedules. With AppClose, you can manage the parenting calendar and keep a comprehensive record of calls, messages, and all other forms of communication within your AppClose circle. The app even offers features to handle financial and paperwork needs, providing a complete solution for co-parenting management. The ability to store information in an unchangeable form can be invaluable when providing proof or documentation in co-parenting situations.
Key Features of AppClose include:
- Saving conversations for potential use in court, ensuring important communication is securely stored and easily accessible when needed.
- Simple and convenient process for requesting calendar changes, facilitating efficient coordination and flexibility in scheduling.
- Functionality for exporting records, enabling users to extract and share relevant information or documentation as necessary.
With its focus on communication, documentation, and convenience, AppClose offers co-parents a valuable tool to streamline their co-parenting journey and provide a secure and organized platform for managing all aspects of their shared parenting responsibilities.
CoParenter
This app provides a range of features to facilitate effective planning and communication between co-parents. CoParenter offers the advantage of online mediation, enabling co-parents to address and resolve issues as they arise. The app also provides coaching support, allowing users to access guidance and assistance when needed. With check-ins, CoParenter offers peace of mind by providing updates on the child’s whereabouts and well-being when they are with the other parent.
Key Features of CoParenter include:
- Online mediation, providing a convenient platform for co-parents to engage in mediation sessions and work through conflicts or disagreements that may arise during the co-parenting journey.
- Self-help library, offering a wealth of resources and information to support co-parents in navigating various aspects of co-parenting, such as communication strategies, parenting plans, and conflict resolution techniques.
Keep connected with your legal team
Co-parenting apps have become valuable tools for divorced or separated parents to navigate the complexities of co-parenting more efficiently. These apps offer a range of features, such as shared calendars, communication tools, document storage, and even online mediation, that help parents collaborate effectively and maintain healthy relationships for the well-being of their children. These apps allow parents to streamline communication, reduce misunderstandings, and ensure that important information and documents are readily accessible.
However, it’s important to remember that while co-parenting apps can be beneficial, legal guidance and representation are crucial when it comes to family law matters and parental coordination. At Schwam-Wilcox & Associates, we are here to support you every step of the way. If you have questions about your parenting plan, time-sharing, or parental responsibilities, don’t hesitate to contact Schwam-Wilcox & Associates.
Our dedicated attorneys are experienced in family law and are committed to providing the highest level of professionalism to assist you with your legal needs. Our mediators help families resolve disputes, focusing on each client’s unique needs and interests through constructive and interest-based negotiation. We now offer parent coordiantion services as well if you and your co-parent need some additional assistance with learning how to communicate and co-parent effectively. Reach out to us for the guidance and representation you need to navigate the complexities of co-parenting and ensure the best outcomes for you and your children.
