Family Protection Plan
Legal instruments lovingly crafted by 3 devoted fathers
This beautiful baby gift includes essential legal & financial documents to prepare for and protect the important changes in your life with the addition of a new baby!
Legal Forms
- A one-hour consultation with Michigan attorney(s) and Michigan financial planner(s).
- A Power of Attorney Delegating Guardianship over baby. This is crucial. Without this paperwork in order the court will decide who will keep your baby should something happen to both parents.
- A Will: You can choose who is to receive your property; select someone to serve as personal representative (formerly known as executor); and appoint a guardian and conservator for your children under age 18.
- A Patient Advocate and Advanced Directive for Health Care
- A General Power of Attorney for Property and Finances
- A Parental Permission and Medical Consent form (Temporary Delegation Of Parental Rights And Limited Power Of Attorney For Consent To Medical Treatment of Your Child)
Financial & Insurance Forms
- A one-hour consultation with Michigan attorney(s) and Michigan financial planner(s).
- Life Insurance Evaluation Form for the new parents
- A Financial Statement Form for a husband and wife
- Paperwork for the Michigan College savings Fund – MESP 529 Plan
- A Gerber Baby Life Insurance Policy for your newborn
Peace of Mind Extras
- Emergency Contact forms for the home, caregivers and schools
- Personal Planning Information and Document Inventory Worksheets
There are forms for babysitters, including family, which should be filled out for anyone watching your children. Whether you use family or a babysitter to watch your children at your home, a caregiver’s home or you drop them off at daycare, these forms provide needed information and grant permission to medical personnel in case of an emergency situation. Must Haves for New Parents!
Medical Release
Most physicians would not withhold emergency care, but babysitters and even extended family members should have a medical release form when a child is left in their care. This document gives permission to the caregiver to seek needed medical or dental assistance for your child. The form should contain your name, your child’s name, name of the caregiver, a statement that grants permission to the babysitter to seek medical care, emergency contact information for yourself, insurance information, a list of your child’s medications and allergies, important medical information, and contact information for the child’s primary care physician, dentist and pharmacy.
Contact Information for Your Family and Your Home
Sometimes a babysitter or even your child will not know the address and home phone number of their location. This package includes several forms for you to put on the refrigerator and several other places throughout your home in case of an emergency so that vital information can be given without confusion that can cost precious time.
Daycare providers should also have a contact sheet for your child. This document lists your names, your child’s name, age, date of birth, height, weight and hair color. It gives your home address, phone numbers for your home, cell phone, work and emergency contact information for yourself and a close relative.
Home Safety Information
If the babysitter watches your child at your home, the babysitter should receive a list of information pertinent to the house and neighbors, in addition to emergency information. Phone numbers for poison control and local law enforcement agencies need to be listed. The babysitter should be aware of all outside exits, the location of first aid supplies and of the fire extinguisher, and be given a designated place to meet outside of the house in the event of an emergency so you can find your child right away.
Health Insurance
If you are covered under your employer’s health benefits program, you should find out what is involved in adding your baby to your policy. Some plans require the employee to pay additional premiums, while other plans are all-inclusive. If you do not have health insurance, look into private policies you can purchase or state coverage for low-income families. Ensure your new baby’s health needs are covered. (We need to cover the Affordable Care Act coverage.)
Estate Planning – Should Something Happen To the Parents
While you probably do not want to consider your own passing, it is important that you think about it long enough to do some estate planning for the possibility. The most important thing to do is to choose a guardian to take care of your baby, in the event that something happens to you. If you have not indicated your wishes in this matter, the courts will make a guardianship determination that may be contrary to what you would have wanted.
Guidelines and Miscellaneous Information
Babysitters appreciate a list of guidelines that parents expect to be followed. Some of the basic information on the form might include meal times, allowed foods and drinks, nap time rules and enforcement, bedtime rules and enforcement, behavior problems and how to handle them, and appropriate activities and games that your child enjoys.
Babysitters who come to your home should also know your guidelines for answering the door, answering or using the phone, rules for use of TV, phone and computer. An in-home babysitter should also know what activities are not allowed while parents are out of the home.
Supplying the necessary forms and information gives the babysitter guidelines to follow in case of an emergency. Plus, parents will know that the babysitter is equipped with information needed in case of an emergency. You should also have an additional contact person related to the babysitter in the event of an emergency.
Every effort has been made to ensure a comprehensive package to cover a new baby in a variety of circumstances give the new parents and their family members peace of mind that plans and documents are in order if needed.
Please note: The documents in this package are Michigan specific. Other states available upon request.