Bird Nest Custody May Truly Be in the Best Interest of Your Child

Historically, child custody arrangements have involved kids behing shuttled between one parent's home and another's. A new type of custody arrangement, bird nesting, is quickly becoming popular though. While it's not ideal for many, some parents who are truly interested in doing what's in the best interest of their child are beginning to pursue it.

The way bird nesting works is that children remain in the only home that they've known and their parents come and go according to who is scheduled to spend time with the kids for that period of time.

Many parents who choose bird nest parenting will have one parent take on daytime duties with their child at the home while another parent is at work. When the mom or dad returns home from his or her job, that daytime parent will go back to his or her own residence and leave the child in the care of the other one for the night.

Other parents who raise their kids using the bird nest approach may alternate spending an entire week with their child in the home.

In one instance in Canada, the bird nesting approach was ordered by a judge until a child custody hearing could be scheduled in a case. When the case came before him, he learned just how beneficial this custody approach could be for kids ages 3 through 5 who had only known one home their entire life.

He noted that keeping a consistent home for them instead of exchanging them back-and-forth between parents and homes helped create a sense of stability that was much needed in their lives. This observation seems to be in alignment with child psychologists' conclusions about the benefits of this custody style.

While this child-centric approach is not for all parents, they note that maybe it should be.

For parents, it can be a particularly cost-effective option, especially if they can share in buying toys, bedding and clothes for a single home versus two separate ones.

What's more, child psychologists say that adults are better conditioned to move back-and-forth between homes. It's more disruptive for kids to have to do the same.

If you're embroiled in a dispute over how you and your ex are going to split time with the kids, then a Naples child custody litigation attorney can advise you of options available in your case.