The pop star, who is seeking to regain the shared custody she lost earlier this month, must also continue meeting a court-appointed parenting coach, Los Angeles Superior Court Commissioner Scott Gordon said.

Calls to lawyers representing Britney and her ex-husband Kevin Federline were not immediately returned.

The nine-page ruling said the 25-year-old singer could have overnight visits with her children -- something she had been seeking. She will get two visits a week from noon to 7pm and one from noon to 10am the next day. All the visits will be monitored.

The order also cited some details of an October 19 report submitted by parenting coach Lisa Hacker about her observations of Britney with Sean Preston, two, and Jayden James, one.

The report makes it clear that Hacker feels the star "loves her children and the children are bonded" to her, the ruling states.

However, Hacker was concerned that Britney did not seem to have "child-centred" interactions, according to the ruling.

During all three of her visits, Britney "rarely engaged with the children in either conversation or play", Hacker said in her report. 

Britney seeks custody fight change - Oct 31 2007
Britney Spears wants to change a court requirement that she undergo random drug testing in her custody battle with ex-husband Kevin Federline.

The troubled pop star filed a request in Los Angeles to "terminate or modify" the order, according to papers released by the court.

Additional details were not disclosed.

The request was lodged last Friday, the same day Britney and her aspiring rapper ex K-Fed appeared in court for a closed-door hearing in the custody case.

The singer has also asked the court to reinstate her overnight visits with her two sons, Sean Preston, two, and Jayden James, one.

A ruling in the matter is expected later this week.

Britney’s new album, Blackout, is out this week, while her comeback track Gimme More is currently at No 6 in the UK singles chart.

Her 2007 music revival got off to a bad start when her performance at the MTV VMAs earlier this year was slated.

Britney waits for custody decision - Oct 29 2007
A bid by Britney Spears for custody of her two young sons has been put on hold by a US court commissioner after a three-hour closed hearing, a lawyer for her ex-husband Kevin Federline said.

Los Angeles Superior Court Commissioner Scott Gordon was expected to issue a written ruling by next Tuesday after hearing extensive testimony on a number of issues in the case, lawyer Mark Vincent Kaplan said.

Attorney Sorrell Trope, who represents Spears, said "something has changed, but I can’t say what".

He said Spears was pleased, but he declined further comment.

Each parent will have a day with the boys this weekend, Kaplan said during a news conference after the hearing.

Gordon had previously said there was evidence that pop singer Spears is a "habitual, frequent and continuous" user of drugs and alcohol, withdrew approval for her to even visit the children after finding she had failed to comply with some conditions for shared custody.

He later withdrew the ban and allowed her to visit Sean Preston, two, and Jayden James, one - but only in the presence of a court-approved monitor.

Hours earlier, Spears arrived at the courthouse in her white Mercedes-Benz convertible and giggled when asked by reporters outside the courtroom if she was nervous.

Wearing a black print dress and cowgirl boots, she was escorted by sheriff’s deputies. Federline, who arrived a few minutes after Spears, wore a grey pinstriped suit.

Both were under court order to attend the proceedings.