What are the chances that my ex boyfriend will get 50 50 custody when he lives 3 hours away from me ? 8 Answers as of February 23, 2012

It is unlikely that the two of you can share a child equally with that much distance between you. Also, if your boyfriend works even part time, he would have a problem in really parenting a child.

It is unlikely that there would be a 50/50 time share with a newborn baby that is being nursed.

It is hard for a father to get 50/50 of a newborn. This does not mean that eventually he will not be able to get a 50/50 schedule. However, at this time this seems very unlikely. New born children form very strong bonds with parents in the first months. Thus, it will be hard for the child to go 8 days without seeing you if he has the 8 days when he is off work.

Under these facts, it is unlikely that the court would award 50/50 custody. You should consult a family law attorney or facilitator to ensure that your paperwork includes all of the relevant facts.

It is unlikely that the dad will get 50/50 custody, but you should retain an experienced Family Law Attorney to represent you if the dad files a Paternity Case seeking custodial rights.

His parenting expectation seems unrealistic due to the child being a newborn infant.

The joint sharing of responsibilities for child-rearing creates a challenge to one's thinking about parenting. You must examine your role and the role of the other parent from a new perspective, which includes developing rules, living patterns, values and even vocabulary appropriate for the new situation. While it is true that many children remain in regular contact with both parents, the time allotments may vary considerably from a true 50/50 arrangement based upon specific scheduling needs of the family members, the age of the child, special circumstances involved in your case, and the interest level of each parent in the development and continuation of a close, bonded relationship with the child. In order to provide security and avoid confusion and disorientation in young children, child development specialists suggest that they spend most of their time in one residence. Children, especially under the age of six, need great consistency of environment and responses to their needs. Very young children need frequent and predictable contact with both parents providing the reassurance that children require. Children benefit from the closeness to each parent during such activities as baths, conversations, being cuddled, being read to and during playtime. When planning child sharing schedules, consideration should be given to the following: Birth to eighteen months: 1. Infants should have eating and sleeping arrangements as stable and consistent as possible. 2. Overnight visits at this age are generally not in the child's best interests. 3. Visitation will work best when it occurs in the same location every time. 4. Infants visited every day or every other day can develop attachments to the non-custodial parent that can maintain their security. 5. For children visited only once or twice a week, the time spent with the child should not exceed three hours. This time may be longer depending on the frequency of contact, age and adjustment of the child. Based on the fact that your child's father lives 3 hours away and is not available to exercise visitation because he is away for 8 days at a time, it is going to require a lot of effort and commitment on his part to maintain regular consistent contact, particularly when your child is an infant. This information is general and should not be construed to be formal legal advice, nor the formation of a lawyer/client relationship.

We're talking about a new born here. Strongly urge you to talk to a lawyer about how to proceed.