Legal Definitions - primary caregiver

Definition: The primary caregiver is the person who has the most responsibility for taking care of a child on a daily basis.

In family law, the primary caregiver is usually the parent who has been most involved in the child's upbringing. This can be determined by the tender-years doctrine or the primary-caregiver doctrine.

For example, if a child's mother has been the one to feed, bathe, and take care of the child's daily needs, she would likely be considered the primary caregiver.

However, the primary caregiver does not have to be a parent. It can be any person who has taken on the majority of the responsibility for the child's care, such as a grandparent or a nanny.

For instance, if a child's grandparents have been the ones to pick them up from school, help with homework, and take them to doctor's appointments, they would be considered the primary caregivers.

Overall, the primary caregiver is the person who has the most significant role in a child's daily life and upbringing.