sleeping-childIn some cases a non-custodial parent will be limited to daytime parenting time only and will not be given overnight parenting time with a child. This is the exception and not the rule.

There are a couple of fairly common situations where it is appropriate to deny a non-custodial parent overnight parenting time. First is when a child is very young and the non-custodial parent may not be able to care suitably for the child overnight. Dealing with a crying infant or toddler in the middle of the night is beyond the skill set of some very young parents or some adults who are new parents who have had no experience with newborns or infants. These are very limited situations. Time and experience generally will remedy these situations quite quickly. Many times grandparents are available as a resource to help new and inexperienced parents make the transition into overnight periods of parenting time.

The other situation where it is appropriate to deny a non-custodial parent overnight parenting time is when that parent does not have appropriate sleeping accommodations for the child. This is more an issue with older children, who need a measure of privacy and their own bedroom. This becomes an issue when children start to reach puberty. Younger children can share a room with a parent. They also can use the parent’s bed and the parent can bunk on the couch for the night. This works for alternating weekends.

These sleeping accommodation issues obviously are situational and can be addressed in such a manner as to make overnight visitation appropriate. Sometimes they are very short lived as recently separated parents find suitable new housing with appropriate bedrooms and sleeping accommodations for their children.

These exceptions aside, a typical parenting schedule, as a matter of course, probably should and will include some overnight parenting time for the non-custodial parent.