2 things to consider about infant custody arrangements

Doing what’s best for your children is often difficult if you’re going through a divorce. The smaller they are, the harder the custody and visitation decisions can be.

Making plans for an infant in a child custody case is challenging because they have vastly different needs than other children. If you have to work out a parenting plan for an infant with your ex, consider these points:

1. How the baby is fed

Breastfed babies need time to get accustomed to breastfeeding while the mother’s breastmilk comes in. During this time, the mother and baby may not be able to be away from each other for long.

It might be possible for the father to visit the baby at the mother’s home. Supplemental feeding with formula or bottle feeding the infant pumped breastmilk is one option that would enable the father to have the baby for longer periods in the future.

1. The need for intense care

An infant requires a lot of care around the clock. The parents will have to work together to determine how they can meet those needs. Some daycares have minimum ages for babies, so the parents will have to handle things independently or with the help of family members or a nanny.

The unique needs of infants mean that a traditional parenting schedule might not work. Instead of stressing over making a typical schedule work, parents should look at the baby’s natural schedule and figure out how they work with it. The parenting time schedule can always be modified in the future as the child grows.