June 3, 2025, 5:40 am | Read time: 4 minutes

People fall in love, have children, face challenges, and sometimes separate. This is not an unusual course of events today. To ensure that the lives of divorced parents and their children continue as smoothly as possible, solutions for living arrangements must be considered. The “nesting model” is a child-friendly concept designed to avoid the stress of children constantly moving between homes. STYLEBOOK explains it to you.

The Nest Model: A Safe Haven for the Children

The nest model is about providing children with a stable place where they live their lives. The parents are the ones who rotate in and out of this “nest.” The model was developed to make separation more child-friendly and to show them afterward: “You can stay in your familiar environment” and “Not much changes just because Mom and Dad are separating.”

In practice, there is the “nest,” a residence where the children live. Each parent must also have their own living space, which can be an apartment or a room in a shared house. The financial aspect of this model should not be underestimated: After all, three living spaces are being financed.

Good Communication Is Key

For the little ones, this offers the advantage of not having to leave their established structures and environment after a separation. The school route remains the same, they fall asleep in their own bed every night, and everything smells like Mom and Dad. This provides them with a lot of security. The parents are the ones who need to adapt. Moreover, they should not have too poor a relationship; good communication is essential for this lifestyle concept.

A lot of agreements need to be made. Who is in the so-called nest at what times? What happens if a parent has a spontaneous appointment? Compromises must be made, and you learn a lot about each other’s lives because you frequently meet and are in regular communication–after all, you continue to maintain a shared living space. By the way, the “nest” is also a nice thing for shared pets. This continues to convey a sense of togetherness and stability to the children.

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Stability for the Children–Provided It Works

For ex-couples with children, the question arises whether it is financially feasible to create such a nest. Additionally, parents must allow themselves organizational flexibility, including professionally. Current partnerships also play a role. What is the relationship with the ex-partner? Can new loves be openly discussed, and does it bother you to possibly encounter them in the nest? Do you even allow new partners into these spaces?

These are questions parents should consider before implementing the care model. Not every nest model is the same; there are individual variations and adjustments depending on the ex-couple. Let’s take a look at how host Nazan Eckes does it.

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“Sometimes with Their Dad, Sometimes with Their Mom”: Nazan Eckes on the Nest Model

In a recent interview with “Gala,” Nazan Eckes explains that she raises her children according to the nest model. “The boys have their base in this house,” Eckes says about her property in Mallorca. She continues: “Sometimes they’re here with their dad, sometimes with their mom–and we still spend a lot of time together as a family on weekends, birthdays, or holidays at the finca.”

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They even live together at times. This means Eckes and ex-husband Julian Khol do not avoid overlaps in the “nest.” On the contrary, the usual family life is continued here on special occasions. The two have two children. Lounis is ten and Ilyas is eight years old. This example shows: The nest model can work! The finca in Mallorca has been successfully used as a “nest” since 2022.