Newborn & Prebirth Custody Agreements

How do I make a custody agreement for my newborn?

You can write up your own custody agreement or have a legal professional create it.

If you don't want to pay the high cost of a lawyer, you can use Custody X Change to easily make your own agreement.

What should I consider when making a newborn custody agreement?

The most important thing to remember when creating a newborn or prebirth custody agreement is that it should be prioritize the best interest of the child.

The court will also consider all factors relevant to child's interests before it approves your agreement. Some of these factors include:

• The mental and physical health of the parents and the baby
• Each parent's ability to provide the baby with food, clothing, shelter and proper care
• Each parent's ability to provide the baby with love and affection
• Each parent's morals
• Each parent's motives for wanting custody

The court wants to make sure that both parents are willing and able to take good care of the baby and there aren't any circumstances that could harm the baby (e.g., domestic violence or substance abuse).

The key to getting your custody agreement approved is to create one that puts the needs of your newborn above your own desires. Make sure your custody agreement contains adequate information so that the judge can understand it and you can carry it out.

Custody X Change is the perfect tool for creating a custody agreement for your newborn because it makes sure you don't forget to include anything important.

How do I make a custody agreement that grows with my child?

Creating a custody agreement for a newborn can be challenging because the needs of a newborn are much different than the needs of an older child. The needs of babies can change as rapidly.

As you create your custody agreement, address the current needs of your newborn and also include plans for the custody arrangements in the future.

If you don't want to have to return to court every few years to change the terms of the custody agreement, you will need to include visitation schedules for these stages of your child's development:

• Newborn
• Infant
• Toddler
• Preschool age
• Elementary school age
• Teenager

When you hold your tiny baby, it can be hard to imagine making a schedule for them as a teenager. Use your best judgment.

You can also include a method for a periodic review of the agreement so you can modify the custody arrangements as needed. With Custody X Change, you can easily make changes to your agreement and print out copies for your ex and the court.

What kind of visitation schedule should I include in my custody agreement?

It is very important for a newborn to be able to bond with both parents. It's also important that the baby feel comfortable and secure.

With this in mind, the details of your visitation schedule will depend on your individual views and circumstances.

Some people feel that a newborn needs to bond with a primary caregiver. If you and the other parent agree with this philosophy, create a visitation schedule that gives the nonprimary caregiver short, frequent visits with the newborn.

For example, the parent could have several two- to four-hour visits a week. Ideally, visits should fall at the same time so the baby settles into a routine. As your child grows, visitation time can grow as well, working towards overnight visitation.

Another view is that a newborn should spend as much time as possible with each parent. If both of you concur with this, you will want a schedule that allows you both to spend a significant amount of time with the baby, though not necessarily equal.

One way to make this work would be if one parent had the newborn during the day and the other parent would have the baby in the evenings and at night. This works well for parents that work opposite shifts because it keeps the baby out of daycare.

How you make your schedule is really a matter of personal preference and as long as you are able to agree with each other on the custody schedule, the judge should approve it.

You can use the Custody X Change time-share percentage reports to get an accurate tally of how much time each of you will have with your child.

Can I make a prebirth custody agreement?

You can draft your custody agreement before your child is born, but the court won't approve it until after the birth. This is because there is not legally a child to have custody of until the birth.

Start working on an agreement with the other parent as soon as possible. You will probably have less time for those conversations after the baby arrives. Plus, drafting a prebirth custody agreement allows you to submit it right after the baby is born so that you'll have a clear approach to parenting from the start of your child's life.

The easiest way to make a custody agreement

Creating a custody agreement on your own can feel overwhelming. You have to be sure to use airtight legal language and can't omit any required information.

Use technology to take the guesswork out of the equation. The Custody X Change app walks you through each step of creating a comprehensive custody agreement.

The result is a professional document that demonstrates your competence as a parent and secures your child's future.

The easiest and most reliable way to make a custody agreement is with Custody X Change.