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I suppose battle would be the key word here. It implies the parents are at odds, and are unable to come to an agreement on what's best for their child/ren. When parents are unable to come to a mutually acceptable agreement concerning custody of their child it then become the Family Court's responsibility to decide what's in the best interest of the child. That's where the battle part comes in.

I want to clarify one thing before delving into how to prepare for a custody battle. There are two basic forms of custody arrangements that can be made.

Full legal custody

This arrangement entitles one parent to have placement of the child, and the right to make all of the child's life decisions without consulting the absent parent. The absent parent may, and most likely will, still have visitation rights.

Joint custody with placement

This arrangement entitles both parents to have a say on the child's life decisions. The child is placed with one parent and the other parent is awarded visitation rights.

Below are listed 5 basic criteria a judge will consider in a child custody hearing. (This list is not all-inclusive as laws vary from state to states)

1. When determining what is in the best interest of the child the judge will, first and foremost, take into consideration, which parent has been providing most of the child's daily needs.

There's really nothing to fight about on this issue if one of you is a stay-at-home parent. If, however, both of you work, it's wise to keep a journal of all you do to provide for your child's daily needs.

Daily needs encompass preparing meals; making sure homework is completed, attending to the child's hygiene needs, caring for the child when they are ill, involvement in their education and spiritual growth, etcetera. This does not mean taking them to a movie or going to the zoo. Those are not needs.

2. Next, the judge will look at the time each of you spends with your child on a daily basis. Again, if there's a stay-at-home parent, the issue is practically mute. If not, keep a journal that records all contact you have with your child; no matter what it is.

3. The judge will also consider any past history each of you may have, that could call your ability's to nurture the child into question; issues with alcohol or drugs, criminal activity, physical abuse, and other things that fall along these lines. Do not assume, however, that issues long past or issues that have been addressed will be considered.

For instance, if your spouse is a recovering alcoholic,

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