10 Go-To Blended Family Resources to Keep You Organized
Our Happy Divorce Tuesday, March 3, 2020
Sharing custody and blending families requires communication and organization. Kids schedules are always changing with school activities, sporting events, party invitations, playdates and more. When you are co-parenting, it’s important that both parents are aware of the kids’ schedules. These resources will help you keep your blended family organized.
Apps for Blended Families
Syncing up family calendars across households helps both parents keep track of important kid-related appointments and schedules. You can use a shared Google or Apple calendar, but apps are a good choice if you also want to track messages, finances, and documents with your co-parent.
“I’m in charge of creating that structure for all of us—constantly communicating with everyone to balance the schedules, staggering travel for Ben and myself, and creating monthly family and co-parenting calendars.” ~ Nikki DeBartolo
- Our Family Wizard App: While you can easily use text messaging and apps like Paypal or Venmo to communicate with your ex and transfer money when needed, it’s easier to keep all of your kid-related activities in one spot. A co-parenting app like Our Family Wizard tracks communication, financial requests, important documents, and contact info.
- Cozi App: Shared family calendars make co-parenting simpler by giving both parents access to the kids’ schedules whenever they need it. The Cozi app helps coordinate everyone’s schedules and sends reminders before important events. You can also track to-do lists which can be helpful when planning joint trips or parties.
- Parenting Apart App: In addition to tracking schedules, apps can be a helpful way to get answers to common co-parenting questions. The Parenting Apart app is a mobile resource with quick answers to tough problems that divorced parents face. If you are facing a new decision in your co-parenting relationship, it’s helpful to check-in with the app’s advice before responding to your ex.
- 2Houses App: Successful co-parenting across two different households requires a lot of communication. The 2Houses app was created just for this purpose. It’s used around the world and can come in handy over the summer when your families are traveling to different areas. The app also includes a journal to track special moments and financial tracking tools.
Organizational Tools for Blended Families
In addition to communicating back and forth, blended families also need to transport a lot of stuff back and forth for the kids! Having duplicates of everything at both houses isn’t always practical, especially when it comes to clothing. This is where a little organization can come in handy.
- Planners: Go old school and invest in a planner for families. While apps are handy for information on the go, a physical planner is really helpful for getting an overview of the entire custody schedule for a month or year. When choosing a planner, consider how you’ll use it. Will you carry it with you or leave it at your desk at home? This will influence the size of planner that works best for you.
- Car Organizer: Create a kid kit for your vehicle using a car organizer. Keep a change of clothes, extra socks, school supplies, lunch money and medication on-hand in case something gets left behind. When something gets used, replenish it immediately so you’re always prepared if someone forgets their socks!
- Laundry Bags: Speaking of socks, don’t forget about the kids’ laundry. When kids move from one household to another, they’ll be taking the clothes they’re wearing to the new house. Use laundry bags to immediately toss these clothes into and send them back over to your co-parents’ house.
- File Organizer: Another handy tool is a portable file organizer. This is a great way to keep important documents on-hand, like copies of insurance cards or birth certificates. You can also create a folder for each child and use it as a way to transport homework or school notices back and forth.
- Wall Calendar: Going back and forth between houses can be stressful on kids. A large dry erase wall calendar that clearly shows which days they will spend with each parent can help ease this stress. Kids can see at a glance which parent they will be with before they leave the house for the day.
- Clothing Labels: Keeping track of your kids’ clothing is a full-time job. Avoid the clothing wars that often plague co-parents by using iron-on clothing labels to identify your items.
Things That Should Stay With the Kids
Certain items like school supplies, backpacks, lunch boxes, and sports equipment should stay with the kids. They will take these items back and forth between houses when they transfer locations.
Getting organized in one household is tricky enough. When you are co-parenting and your kids are moving between houses, keeping your blended family organized can feel overwhelming. Thankfully, these apps and simple organizational tools can help you keep track of all the schedules and stuff that go into co-parenting.