Free template
A custody documentation template you can actually keep
The best custody log is the one you keep consistently. This template is built around four short fields you can fill in five minutes — designed to stay neutral, child-focused, and useful months later.
The template
Use the same four fields every day. Consistency is what makes the log scannable later.
1. Date and time
When you are writing, and the date the entry covers. If you are writing about an event, note when it happened too.
2. Summary
One or two sentences of what happened. Observable facts. Who was there, what occurred, when it ended.
3. Routines and impact
How the day affected the child's routines: exchanges, meals, sleep, school, behavior. This is usually the most useful field later.
4. Follow-ups
Anything to revisit: a school note, a question for the co-parent, a doctor's appointment. Optional.
Three example entries
Ordinary day
Date: Tuesday, March 5. Entry written 8:30pm.
Summary: School day, picked up at 3pm. Soccer practice 4–5pm. Quiet evening at home.
Routines: Dinner at 6pm, homework done, bedtime 8:15pm. No issues at school per teacher note.
Follow-ups: None.
Exchange day
Date: Friday, March 8. Entry written 9pm.
Summary: Exchange at 6pm at the agreed location. Co-parent arrived 6:25pm. Child was waiting in the car with a backpack and a school project.
Routines: Dinner pushed to 7:15pm. Bedtime 8:45pm, slightly later than usual. Child seemed tired but settled with a book.
Follow-ups: School project due Monday — confirm it returned on Sunday exchange.
Hard day
Date: Wednesday, March 13. Entry written 9:30pm.
Summary: Big emotions at morning drop-off. Child cried for ~10 minutes, said, "I don't want to go." Teacher reported child settled by mid-morning.
Routines: Skipped breakfast. Ate lunch normally per teacher. Quiet at pickup, slept earlier than usual (7:45pm).
Follow-ups: Check in tomorrow morning. Mention to pediatrician at next visit if pattern continues.
Reflection: Felt anxious about leaving. Reminding myself the teacher said the morning settled.
Tips for keeping the format neutral
- Use observable verbs. "Arrived at 6:25pm" reads more credibly than "showed up late again."
- Quote, do not paraphrase. Exact words ("said, 'I do not want to go'") are stronger than interpretation.
- Separate facts from feelings. If you want to capture how the day felt, add a "Reflection:" line. Keep the main entry factual.
- Include calm days. A log that only documents conflict reads as one-sided. Ordinary days make the record more credible.
- Be consistent, not exhaustive. Three honest lines a day for a year beats a daily essay you abandon in week three.
Skip the manual template — let the app do it
MyParentingLog turns this template into a five-minute routine. You write a few sentences in plain language; the app drafts the four fields above using neutral verbs and observable facts. You review, edit, and save. Months later you can export any date range as a clean PDF — no reformatting, no manual cleanup.
Frequently asked
- A template keeps every entry comparable. After a few months you can scan a date range and see patterns — exchanges, sleep, behavior — without re-reading paragraphs of free text. It also reduces decision fatigue: you do not have to decide what to include each time.
- Yes. The template below works in a notebook, a notes app, a spreadsheet, or any logging tool. MyParentingLog automates it — you write a few sentences and the same fields are filled in for you — but the structure is the same.
- Leave them blank or write 'no notable events.' Consistency comes from the structure, not from forcing every field. Including ordinary, calm days makes the overall record more credible than only documenting incidents.
- Three to five short lines is enough on most days. Add more detail only when something genuinely needs it. Long, detailed entries every day are unsustainable — and a log you stop keeping is worse than a short one you keep consistently.
Why use a template instead of writing freely?+
Can I use this template in any tool?+
What if some fields do not apply on a given day?+
How long should each entry be?+
Try the template
Five minutes a day. Same four fields.
Free tier, no credit card. The template is built in.
Start your free accountThis page is general information and not legal advice. Talk to your attorney about how documentation should be kept in your jurisdiction.