Dad has no experience w/newborns

[Koala]

Separate questions:
What does the court do with a Dad who has NO experience with newborns and is really not interested as it relates to parental sharing?
What if Dad gives baby over to his parents during visitation?
What if Dad is under investigation for sexual abuse by military?
How do courts determine Dad's fitness to have baby overnight or for a few days?
I am worried he will shake the baby or harm it because he is spiteful.
He has had no contact with me since Nov 2010. Baby born Feb. 2011.

[Attorney Cheri Hobbs]

Parents should go through the 4 hour parenting course in a divorce or paternity action. The court will not reduce time sharing for the Dad relative to the age of the child. If the mother is breast-feeding that may play into the length of time away from the mother but most judges will push the parents to consider formula and breast feeding as options. There is something titled "right of first refusal" for parents. That means that the child(ren) should be with a parent as opposed to being watched by a third party if at all possible. When/if the parent will be away from the child for a period of time (traditional is 4 hours if in same county and 24 hours if residing in separate counties) then the parent should offer the "time" to the other parent prior to getting a sitter or having a relative watch the child.

If a parent is under investigation for sexual abuse that should be addressed in the family law case. You can get a guardian ad litem involved to look out for the best interests of the child and to investigate the parent's ability to care for the newborn.