Babynups, an agreement between future parents about the division of childcare responsibilities, have recently come into prominence with the likes of Hollywood ‘royal’ couples John Krasinski and Emily Blunt having reportedly worked out an arrangement. There are even rumours that Meghan Markle and former husband Trevor Engelson looked into it, to protect her career.

Rebecca Christie commented:

While they might seem like a new idea, a conversation with Rebecca Christie, a family law associate at Hunters, revealed that in fact there is mention of a similar arrangement as far back as 1969 from American fiction writer Alix Kates Shulman in her article ‘A Marriage Agreement’. Rebecca provided a few ideas, “It could include any aspect of a child’s life, including, more routinely, how often each parent spends time with the child if they live apart or financial arrangements, but can also include more novel elements such as the child’s future education and nutrition”.

“If a court is asked to consider the arrangements for a child, financial or otherwise, the paramount consideration is what is in the child’s best interests with reference to the ‘Welfare Checklist’ under the Children Act 1989. As what is in a child’s best interests is likely to change over time, courts are unlikely to hold parents to such agreements”, added Rebecca.

Read the full article in Citywealth here. 

Rebecca has been shortlisted as a Rising Star at the Citywealth Powerwomen Awards 2020. If you would like to vote for Rebecca, please click on her name in the article.