Know the differences between the types of custody 

Physical custody refers to the “physical possession and control of the child.” This means the parent with physical custody is the parent with whom the child is primarily residing for greater than fifty-one percent of the time. Partial physical custody refers to the parent who is awarded custody of the child for less than fifty percent of the time. A parent having partial physical custody can have possession of the child from one percent of the time up to forty-nine percent of the time. If the parents share physical custody of the child on a fifty/fifty basis this would be primarily referred to as joint or shared physical custody.

The court must consider the best interests of the child in making a decision as to which parent is awarded physical custody. In making that consideration, the court may consider the child’s preference, the parents’ work schedules, and any other information the court deems relevant. Visitation is different from partial custody because the parent with visitation rights cannot take physical possession of the child. He or she is only allowed to spend time with the child when the child is in the control of another person, such as a supervised situation.