Why separated parents benefit from a shared calendar
When children live in two homes, many dates concern both parents: the Friday handover, the parents’ evening, the dentist, the summer holidays. If each parent keeps their own calendar, arrangements get lost in chat threads. A shared calendar turns every arrangement into an entry both of you can see.
- Fewer messages: who has the children and when is written down once, so it does not need sorting out again every week.
- Clear facts: time, place and what to bring are part of the event, so nobody has to rely on memory.
- Predictability for the children: kids want to know where they will spend the weekend too. From 13, with their own account, they can check the calendar themselves.
- Clarity in blended families: when three or four adults see the same dates, the same weekend no longer gets booked twice.
What a custody schedule looks like in a calendar
A custody schedule, sometimes called a parenting plan, sets out when the children are with whom. The names vary from country to country: shared custody, a 50/50 schedule or, in Switzerland, alternating custody. Many families also follow the classic every-other-weekend arrangement. For the calendar, one thing matters most: when the handovers happen.
| Schedule | How to enter it |
|---|---|
| Every other weekend | Two events that repeat every two weeks: the handover on Friday after school and the return on Sunday evening. A fixed evening during the week, such as Wednesday, becomes its own weekly event. |
| Week on, week off | The children switch homes every Monday after school. You need two handovers, each repeating every two weeks and one week apart: one to Dad, one to Mum. |
| Fixed weekdays | For example Monday to Wednesday with one parent and Thursday to Sunday with the other. Two weekly events are enough: the Thursday handover and the Monday handover. |
| School holidays and public holidays | Each holiday week as a single event over several days, with the parent’s name in the title. Holidays that alternate every year, such as Christmas, are best entered right away for the next two years. |
JH FamilySync can bring the school holidays and public holidays of your canton into the calendar, see School holidays and public holidays by canton.
Tips for calmer handovers
Handovers are when separated parents meet, and that is often where tension builds. Clear arrangements in the calendar help keep those few minutes about the children.
- Fix the place and time: put the handover spot under Location / address and stick to the agreed time.
- Note what comes along: PE kit, medicine, homework or a favourite cuddly toy go into the Notes of the event, so nobody has to ask at the door.
- Change the calendar, not just the chat: if you swap a single weekend, delete just that day from the series and add the swap as a separate event. This does not work for a shared event: every edit changes the whole series for both families. A message is easily forgotten; the calendar stays.
- Use school or nursery: if one parent picks the children up from school on Friday and takes them back on Monday, there is no meeting at the front door at all.
- Keep it factual: the calendar is for facts. Leave blame and complaints out of titles and notes.
- Involve the children: show older children the schedule and ask what they would like, for example when a friend’s birthday party or a training session falls on a handover weekend.
Two ways to set it up in JH FamilySync
In JH FamilySync, every account belongs to exactly one family. Separated parents therefore have two options, and they differ in how much each household sees of the other.
Option 1: one shared family
Both parents are members of the same family, together with teenagers aged 13 and over who have their own account. Everyone sees the same calendar and can add events, and with Make admin both parents run the family on equal terms. This works well if you cooperate easily and do not need a separate calendar for your own household. The free plan covers up to four family members. With Premium you can also create a “Custody” calendar under Your own calendars, set it to For the whole family and keep the handovers together there.
Option 2: two linked families
Each household is its own family in the app, including a new partner or other children. You connect the two families as linked families. After that you share individual events, such as handovers, the parents’ evening or holiday plans. The rest of your calendar, your lists and your contacts stay within your family.
- Create a code
An admin of the first household opens the Family tab, scrolls down to Linked families and taps Invite family. Under Share code there is a code starting with FAM-. It is valid for 48 hours and can be used once.
- Enter the code
An admin of the other household also taps Invite family, chooses Enter code and sends the request with Send request.
- Accept the request
The request appears for the first household under Linked families. Tap Accept and the link is active.
- Share an event
When an admin creates a new event, the field Share with linked family now appears. Pick the other family there: the event then shows up in their calendar as well, and their members get a notification.
- Respond and adjust
The other household answers with Accept or Decline and can change the event with Edit. The History shows who from which family changed what.
Shared events can repeat too. For the visiting weekend, choose Custom… under Repeat, set Repeat every to two weeks and pick Friday under Repeat on. Who from your family takes part in an event stays hidden from the other family.
For birthdays on both sides of the family, try the family birthday calendar. If one parent works shifts, see Shift work in the family calendar.
Frequently asked questions
Can the other parent see my whole calendar?
That depends on the setup. In a shared family, all members see all of the family’s events. With two linked families, the other family only sees your family name and the events you explicitly share with them; the rest of your calendar, your lists and your contacts stay with you.
Do we need Premium for this?
A shared family is free for up to four members. For two linked families, each household needs Premium when linking: CHF 2.00 a month or CHF 20 a year for the whole family, and in Germany and Austria the stores charge in euros. You can try it free for seven days. Events shared with you stay visible and you can respond to them without Premium.
Can the other household change a shared event?
Yes. Both families can edit the title, date, time, location and notes of a shared event, and the history shows who from which family changed what. Only an admin of the family that created it can delete it.
Can our children see the calendar themselves?
Yes, from 13 with their own account, with parental consent under 16. An account belongs to exactly one family, so with two linked families a child is a member of one of the two households and sees the shared events there.
Does JH FamilySync help with legal questions about custody?
No. The app reflects what you have agreed and does not replace advice. For questions about custody, contact arrangements or child support, turn to a family counselling service, a mediator or a family law specialist.