Ask anyone who has had to learn how to co-parent, and they will likely tell you that it didn’t always feel like a walk in the park. Co-parenting requires patience, flexibility, an ability to see past personal feelings, and at times, a sense of humor. As if divorce isn’t hard enough, learning how to share time with your children can feel downright unfair. All that to be said, it’s an inevitable part of divorce with children, and while difficult, it’s almost always in your children’s best interest to have healthy relationships with both of their parents.
So, since it can’t be avoided, it’s better to start planning how you and your ex can make the process as easy, organized, and drama-free as possible. Luckily, there are a few apps that were created to help with just this predicament, so we’ve made a list of some of the most effective co-parenting apps at different price ranges. Hopefully, these apps will be able to help you and your ex communicate about all things child-related so that play-dates, time swaps, and drop-offs can all be organized in one reliable place.
Cozi
Silver Package- Free // Gold Package- $29.99/year
Cozi is a free app with great features to help family and friends stay organized. While not created specifically for co-parents, it offers tools to create to-do lists, shared color-coded calendars, photo sharing, shopping and recipe lists and more. Better yet, various family members can join the shared schedule if you allow them access, which means Grandma and Grandpa could also keep tabs on upcoming events.
Parentship
$39/year
Parentship is an app created specifically for family planning. It offers a calendar that alerts the other parent via email and text message, reducing the need to contact each other personally. You’re able to create an individual profile for each of your children, with all important upcoming events, documents, medications or important contacts available for either your ex or a caretake who may need access to the profile. It will alert each parent of how many events they have each day through a cohesive dashboard that is easy to quickly glance through.
OurFamilyWizard
$99-$109/year
OurFamilyWizard was created by a divorced couple who wanted to create an app specifically designed for co-parenting. It has a lot of great features to help keep tensions low, and is a great option if you and your ex have a hard time communicating. This app offers a color-coded calendar, a journal, an expense log where you can share child-related fees, an “info bank” where you can upload all photos and important documents for your child, and the option to add in third-party members, such as a family member or a child therapist. Additionally, OurFamilyWizard offers a secure message board for you and your ex that can never be revised or deleted, allowing you to keep records of all communication. For an extra $10/month, you can opt for the ToneMeter—a tool that works similar to spellchecker, it can pick up on hostile or tense messages you’re typing, and will offer an alternative message to help reduce conflict with your ex.
WeParent
$120/year
WeParent was designed with the hopes that, by creating an app that helps parents to experience reduced conflict, they will then be able to focus more wholly on their children and the well-being of their new family dynamic. The app aims to help parents manage schedules (such as upcoming events and appointments), expenses, contacts, important documents, custody schedules, and provides a messaging tool for both parents. Additional family members can also be added, and the app is in the process of allowing children above the age of 13 to be invited to join the app as well.