Legal Question in Family Law in Maryland

Re: Custody Requirements

Visitation modification because of living conditions in the visitation home is rare. Courts allow a wide variety of life styles & socio-economic settings, so long as there is no showing of direct harm to the child.

Your current visitation pattern is fairly common, and is unlikely to be curtailed by a court. The court may add alternate federal holidays, alternate blocks of time at Christmas and Easter, and a block of time in the Summer. You should get visitation in writing, and doing it outside of court saves time and money.

Re: Custody Requirements

Your ex is required to provide a reasonable and safe environment for your daughter when she is with him. Certainly she should have a bed or at least a sleeper to use, healthy food and a clean home. Usually the child brings her clothes from home for visitation, although sometimes clothes are kept at the non-custodial parent's.

As for the frequency of visitation, this varies from case to case--there are no set rules. Every other weekend is common; sometimes a midweek visit is included as long as it doesn't interfere with school or an appropriate bed time. It's best to work out a schedule with the father rather than fight over this in court, but that may be necessary if you can't agree. Judges tend to be liberal on visitation as long as they feel it benefits the child.