6 Tech tools to strengthen your co-parenting skills

Technology isn’t always a bad thing when it comes to ending the need for face-to-face interaction. A study was done at that looked at how 49 divorced parents used technology to communicate with their exes. The study looked at both the positive and negative interactions from mothers with a wide range of divorce interactions

Technology has been an effective tool for maintaining two households between positive co-parenting situations. Email often helped parents to deescalate fraught conversations, as the study showed.

However technology is only as reliable as the parents who use it.

Here are six tech tools used by parents and co-parents to help manage families with two or more homes.

1. Google Calendar

“Co-parenting can suck, especially around special events and holidays”, Karen Cahn founder and CEO of VProud. Cahn, who is a divorced mom of two, notes that the first tip to co-parenting is to make a plan for big events with your ex, and to ensure that everything is written down.

Mandy Dawson is a mom of two who has been co-parenting for four years, uses a Google calendar to keep track of events and shared commitments. The events scheduled such as custodial days, school events, doctor and dentist appointments, as well as any work, family or special events the individual parents have that might require a schedule change.

2. Cozi

Shannan Younger, who writes at Between Us Parents, is a mom of one who has been co-parenting for eight years. She uses Cozi, a shared calendar which is accessible as both a website and as an app. "My ex and I are both remarried, and it's a great way for all four parents to see her daily activities and which house my daughter is at on which day. Now that she's getting older and has a phone, my daughter uses it, too."

3. OurFamilyWizard

Like some of the other tools, Our Family Wizard has shared calendars, a messaging feature and a way to track expenses. But unlike the others, Our Family Wizard has a function where attorneys, therapists and the courts can log in and view the information that is shared. Designed to take the hostility out of fraught co-parenting situations, one of the website's taglines is “Create clear communication and end the ‘he said/she said.’”

4. Life360

Anne Parris is the managing partner of Midlife Boulevard and has been co-parenting for 20 years. She uses the family locator app Life360. "It has a great messaging system, and the kids and I can see each other's location on a map through GPS. If they are running late, I don't have to worry."

5. 2houses

2houses is a free program that helps co-parents create a central place for photo albums, addresses, doctor and dentist contact information, clothing sizes and more. It also has a shared journal feature to track notes and share information.

6. Amazon Wish List

Amazon Wish List wasn’t created with co-parenting in mind, but the simple tool that is easy to access via a public link can help parents in two separate houses keep track of items their kids need and want for birthdays, holidays and school.