Matt is one of our involved parents always looking to find better solutions for his child. The following is what we refer to as Matt's Strategy List for making the transition between his home and the other parent's home happen as smoothly as possible.
- Duplicate a few favorite toys when possible so that those toys are at each place. Divide up other toys.
- If one parent will stay at the current house, keep the bedroom as consistent as possible.
- Have only a small bag to transfer necessary items (such as O.T. tools).
- Have separate clothes. Return clothes to the other parent at the next transition.
- Consider an intermediate transition. E.g., before dropping the child off at the other parent's house, go to a park.
- To help with transitions, communicate with each other about something fun the child will get to do or have after the transition.
- For documents (e.g., medical info, school newsletters, legal documents,) use a shared online cloud storage site (Box, Dropbox, Google Drive) to upload documents so that both parents have easy access to essential information.
- Provide prompt information about doctor's appointments, OT, school information, etc. when there are no documents given or when documents don't cover all necessary information. Agree on a timeline for when this information will be conveyed.
- Have a written calendar for the week/month for where the child will be on each day and when, along with any activities for the day. Put the calendar in a place that the child can see whenever s/he wants to.