Parenting plan checklist
A parenting plan is the written version of how you will share the children: the schedule, holidays, school, health, money, and how you handle changes. Use this list to see what you have covered and what still needs a conversation, then print a summary for yourselves or for a mediator.
What makes a plan work day to day
Plans that hold up tend to be specific where arguments start (times, places, notice periods) and flexible where life changes (how to agree a swap). The regular schedule is usually the easiest part to write down; holidays and money are where most of the later friction comes from, so it is worth being precise about them.
If you have not settled on a weekly pattern yet, try a few in the schedule builder to see how each looks across a whole year.
The checklist
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0 agreed · 0 to talk about · 18 left
The regular schedule
Weekly pattern
Which nights are with which parent in a normal fortnight? (2-2-3, 5-2-2-5, week on week off, every other weekend…)
Not covered yet
Handoffs
What time, where (school, a home, somewhere neutral) and who drives?
Not covered yet
Calls with the other parent
Can the children call or video the other parent, and roughly when?
Not covered yet
Holidays and special days
Winter holidays
Split the break in half, alternate years, or swap Christmas Eve and Christmas Day?
Not covered yet
Thanksgiving and long weekends
Alternate each year, or follow the regular schedule?
Not covered yet
Summer
Longer blocks with each parent? How much notice for vacation dates?
Not covered yet
Birthdays
The children’s birthdays, and each parent’s. Mother’s Day and Father’s Day.
Not covered yet
Religious and cultural days
Any days that matter to one family more than the other.
Not covered yet
School, health and activities
School decisions
Who chooses schools, who gets the school emails, who goes to parent evenings?
Not covered yet
Medical and dental
Who books appointments, who has the insurance, how are emergencies shared?
Not covered yet
Activities
Who signs them up, and who takes them when it’s not your night?
Not covered yet
Money
Shared costs
Which costs are shared (trips, braces, childcare), in what split, and how fast is the other parent paid back?
Not covered yet
Receipts
Is a photo of the receipt enough? How are disagreements handled?
Not covered yet
Communication and changes
How you talk
One channel for child matters (an app, email), and how quickly to reply.
Not covered yet
Swapping days
How much notice for a swap, and does a swapped night have to be made up?
Not covered yet
Travel
Notice for trips out of state or abroad, and who keeps the passports.
Not covered yet
New partners
When are new partners introduced, and do overnight guests matter?
Not covered yet
When you disagree
Mediation first? Reviewing the plan once a year as the children grow?
Not covered yet
This is a list of topics, not a legal document or a template for a court filing. ParentHelm keeps a dated record of your schedule, swaps, expenses and messages. It does not give legal advice, and it is not a court-approved or court-mandated service. For advice about custody or a parenting plan, talk to a family lawyer or mediator where you live.