Judges in contested child custody cases consider many factors including the developmental stages and needs of the child and the demonstrated capacity and disposition of each parent to meet the child's developmental needs. Litigating parents should journal how they meet their child's specific needs.
Children have different developmental needs depending upon their age. An infant to a 2 year old will generally explore the world through sucking, looking, grasping and pulling. Therefore the developmental needs for an infant include a home environment that is child proof with sensory objects to explore and a parent that is very attentive and loving.
Toddlers to a young children, ages 2 to 7 begin to use language and develop their memory and imagination. These children generally engage in pretend play. A parent of a child at this age should engage their child's creativity by getting down on the floor and playing with their child whether it is pretending to be super heroes, pretending to be a vet or sailing in a pretend boat.