Successful parenting requires parents to exercise excellent time management and organizational ability. Successful co-parenting arguably demands more skill and ability for managing your time and organizing your schedule.
In today’s technology-driven world, you can manage nearly any aspect of life through an app on your phone—even co-parenting issues. State courts have started to recognize the advantages that co-parenting apps provide separated parents, ordering some of them to select an app to facilitate the coordination of parenting responsibilities.
Some of the most popular and effective co-parenting apps include Cozi, AppClose, coParenter, OurFamilyWizard, and 2houses, reviewed below.
Cozi Family Organizer
Cozi is an organizational app to help families coordinate schedules, responsibilities, grocery lists, and meals. Any family can benefit from this app, whether their parents or separated or together.
Cozi’s features include:
- Family Calendar: Cozi’s color-coded calendar feature lets you organize responsibilities, activities, meetings, for each family member and set appointments.
- To Do Lists: Families can create a shared to-do list, a spouse or former-spouse to-do list, and more. Shared lists are particularly helpful for separated parents, so each parent is up-to-date on their children’s needs.
- Shopping Lists: Cozi’s shopping list feature allows families to email shopping lists for birthdays, holidays, school supplies, and groceries.
- Family Journal: Cozi’s journal function lets families record and capture important moments. This feature also helps separated parents maintain a record of issues and events for legal purposes.
- Daily Agenda: Families using Cozi have access to a daily breakdown of responsibilities in an agenda for the day.
AppClose Co-Parenting App
AppClose is another free co-parenting app that allows co-parents, family members, and childcare providers that lets them manage or coordinate their responsibilities and facilitate communication between everyone.
Among the features that AppClose provides are:
- Calendar: AppClose has a multi-functional calendar to help families coordinate their time and plans with each other and third-parties, such as teachers, counselors, babysitters, and lawyers.
- Messenger: Families can communicate with each other using a group chat or direct messaging. Messaging is confidential so families can use it to communicate with their attorneys. Users can also send images and documents through messenger.
- Payment Management: AppClose facilitates payments through its “ipayou” feature. Parents can send payment requests for medical expenses or supplies. The app notifies users when a payment request is approved, paid, or declined.
- Private Network: Families can use AppClose as a private social networking platform, allowing users to connect with each other as well as extended family members. Unlike other major social networking apps, families can control the level of privacy to keep sensitive information secure.
- Information Sharing: AppClose users share information organized on the app with third parties through email, text, or social media. Families can send, export, and print out copies of things like receipts and legal documents.
coParenter
Specifically designed to address conflicts between separated parents, coParenter is a multifunctional app that was developed by a group of family law professionals, including retired family law judge, the Honorable Sherrill A. Ellsworth. Families can access its features for either $12.99 per month or $119.99 per year ($9.99 per month).
Families using coParenter can benefit from the following features:
- Organization and Time Management: Users can organize, manage, and document their schedules, payments, and communication coParenter. Families can also maintain a databank of valuable information, including health insurance information.
- Conflict Mitigation: The messaging system of coParenter helps parents avoid conflicts using smart filters that can identify hostile language and warn them before sending a message.
- On-demand Professional Assistance: Families using coParenter have access to professional on-demand co-parenting coaching services for resolving disputes, addressing requests, and drafting agreements.
- Documentation: Families can use coParenter as the central tool for keeping track of important records and legal documents.
- Court Kit: Legal professionals, including judges, court administrators, and self-help centers get access to materials introducing families to coParenter, including a model stipulation for using coParenter to manage co-parenting responsibilities, and a model court order for judges.
OurFamilyWizard
The OurFamilyWizard (OFW) app is designed for families with co-parenting needs. Prices range from $99 to $210, for 1- or 2-year subscription plans with different feature packages.
Some of OFW’s features include:
- Communication and Time Management: OFW helps facilitate constructive communication through its messaging board. OFW preserves messages and uses its ToneMeter™ function to spot aggressive or offensive language.
- Expense Log: OFW users can track expenses and manage payments to help minimize conflict based on financial disputes.
- Journal and Info Bank: Users can journal important information, including ideas, events, and incidents with OFW’s journal function. Parents can also maintain a database of important family information such as medical history, emergency contacts, photos, schedules, and more.
- Mobile App: OFW is available for use on both personal computing devices and smartphones.
- Legal Practice Features: Legal professionals can also use OFW to manage their client’s cases, track their client’s OFW activity in daily summaries, and as a communication platform.
Get Experienced Advocacy from O’Neil Wysocki, P.C.
If you are facing legal difficulties involving divorce or child custody and family support issues, you should consult a knowledgeable lawyer from our legal team at O’Neil Wysocki, P.C. We can provide sound legal counsel for you and your family on any number of family law issues, including divorce and child custody.
For an initial consultation with one of our attorneys, call our office at (214) 348-6723 or complete an online request form today.