Parents: How to Make Co-Parenting Work During the Coronavirus Pandemic

Co-parenting on a normal day is hard, and complications due to the COVID-19 pandemic are certainly not making it easier. In order to evaluate just how much Coronavirus has impacted shared-custody families, Parents spoke with Dr. Pate of Medical Offices of Manhattan – a partner of LabFinder – to pinpoint “6 Ways to Make Co-Parenting Work During the Coronavirus Pandemic”.

Similar to many other aspects of life during the pandemic, health is the main concern. When traveling between households, the chance of spreading the virus from one home to another is very possible. As Dr. Pate explains, it is more important than ever to disclose symptoms of anyone in either household, and “temporary changes then need to be made to parenting time schedules to minimize the risk to the children.” This could include anything from better communication about symptoms and exposure to the sick to checking the child’s temperature regularly between visits. In addition, Dr. Pate recommends parents should be “transparent” with each other regarding what they do when their child is not with them. It may make sense at first to only be extra careful when your child is with you, but relaxing those restrictions while your child is away could simply cause you to catch it and spread it when they return. Truly, social distancing should be maintained since it is “proven to be the most effective preventative measure to combat this pandemic”. 

Think you have the signs of COVID-19? Schedule a test at a lab near you here with LabFinder.