Co-parenting can be very challenging. But the good news is that today we have many apps and tools to make the role easier. They allow you to coordinate co-parenting tasks without having to phone call your ex often.
There is something even more important. When you use apps, everything is tracked and your interactions are transparent. Co-parenting apps can help you stay on track with everything that is going on, and also avoid unnecessary arguments with the other parent.
Here are the best free co-parenting apps and tools that you should try in 2021.
Google Calendar
One of the biggest challenges in co-parenting is organizing your time – holidays, weekends, sleepovers at other parent’s home, and so on. With all the apps available today, there’s no need to try to remember everything.
One of the best things you can do is create a Google Calendar account specifically for your kids and then link it to your account as well as the account of your ex. That way, you’ll both be able to add new events and stay on track with everything that is going on in your kid’s life so that you can plan accordingly.
Your ex will automatically get a notification when you add a new event, which means you don’t have to call or text them to notify them for every event or action. Ideally, you should start using the app as soon as possible as it will help make for a healthy separation as well as more efficient co-parenting.
Timtab Custody Schedule Creator
If you can’t agree on a parenting plan, or you want a flexible schedule that you can always customize, this is the app for you. You don’t have to spend hours trying to figure out the optimal custody schedule. The software is free in 2021, though a paid version could be coming soon.
All you have to do is go online and enter your details, things like school hours or which parent lives closer to the school. You can also enter your custody split: for example, one partner has the kids 60% of the time, and the other 40% of the time, or whatever your situation might be.
In just a few moments, the app will generate a free custody schedule, that often turns out to be much better than any schedule you created manually. You can create weekly or fortnightly schedules, or even tri-weekly or monthly if that’s what works for you.
Timtab Easy Parent Communication Plan
This tool is ideal for those that want to improve communication efficiency with their ex-partner and avoid co-parenting conflict. Because, as you probably know, most conflicts happen out of misunderstanding.
When you start using the communication plan, you’ll get six rules you have to follow. If you follow all of them, it’s much less likely that you’ll end up in conflict with your ex.
The first rule is that you should always communicate by writing instead of talking. It is recommended that you use popular text messaging apps as well as a free email application such as Gmail.
By communicating in writing, you have much more time to think about what you want to say to them and to control your tone. Conflicts are the last thing we need and, thanks to this plan, you can communicate with your ex just like you’d communicate with a business partner.
Both of you have the same goal – you want the best for your child – and the communication plan makes sure that you communicate in a polite and efficient way. With little room for arguments and misunderstanding, your child will benefit from a smooth co-parenting relationship.