Co-parenting is when two people who have been in a relationship, have had children together but then separated. You both have a responsibility to your children to provide them with a stable and secure environment in which they can grow and develop.
The important thing to remember about co-parenting is that you don’t stop being a parent, you just stop being in a relationship with the person that you have had children with.
Below are 10 ways to successful co-parent with your baby mama/baby daddy.
Good communication: Set up ground rules for communication and make sure you decide which platform you do this on (text, email etc). Not communicating means that things will be horrible between you both.
Avoid communicating through your children, go direct to each other.
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Share information: Make sure all information about the child is shared with the other parent whether its good or bad. If there are difficulties with school or behaviour then you should work together to resolve this.
Have a co-parenting plan: Try to make plans in advance, leaving it to the last minute to decide how it is going to work could make it stressful and difficult to come to a reasonable solution. Allow for your children to call or video the other parent when they are with you and allow for flexibility.
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Support network: When you’re co-parenting, tensions runs high, it’s important to have someone to talk to when you’re going through difficult times. A good friends or a stranger can even help with these difficult times.
Stay calm: If you feeling angry or stressed, remember why you need to get your act together. if you’re behaving in a horrible way, remember that you need to set your feeling aside and both focus on the child.
Schedule: It is important that both parents aim for some consistency in your children’s schedules. Making meals, homework, and bedtimes similar can go a long way toward your child’s adjustment to having two homes.
Stay kid-focused: Never let a discussion with your ex-partner progress in another conversation about your or their needs; it should always be about your child’s needs only and they should be the main focus.
Respect: Simple manners and respecting the other parent is the high advantage to co-parenting. Being considerate and respectful including letting your ex know about events in your child life and things that they should know about the child.
Don’t speak negatively: Don’t speak negatively about your co-parent in front of your children. If you feel like you need to vent, wait at the right timing and have those conversations with your friends.
Create a shared family calendar: To ensure positive results as co-parents, keeping a shared family calendar online which can be accessed by both parents. It can help build up your sense of teamwork with your co-parent as it helps maintain both of you to stay on track with your child.
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