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Custody schedule types, explained with calendars.

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The common custody schedules are week-about (7/7), 2-2-3, 2-2-5-5, 3-4-4-3 and alternating fortnights, plus any custom cycle. They give roughly equal time; what differs is how often the children change homes and how long each stretch lasts. Week-about needs one handover a week; 2-2-3 needs three. Younger children generally do better with the more frequent contact, older children with fewer transitions — and the distance between homes quietly rules out the high-frequency patterns once you are more than about 30 minutes apart.

This is the reference version: every common pattern in one place, each shown on a two-week calendar using the same parent-band tokens as the app, with its rotation and its trade-offs. Each has a dedicated page with more detail, linked from its heading.

Week-about (7/7)

One week each, one handover a week. The lowest-admin pattern; best for school-age children and parents who want a simple, predictable routine.

Parent A Parent B

The 2-2-3 schedule

Two, two, then three days, flipping weekly. Six handovers a fortnight and no gap longer than three days. Best for younger children and parents who live close.

Parent A Parent B

The 2-2-5-5 schedule

Fixed weekdays, alternating five-day blocks. Four handovers a fortnight; predictable, and a strong middle option.

Parent A Parent B

The 3-4-4-3 schedule

Largely fixed weekdays with an alternating weekend. Four handovers a fortnight; sits between 2-2-5-5 and week-about.

Parent A Parent B

Alternating fortnights (14/14)

Two full weeks with each parent, then swap — one handover a month. There is nothing to diagram inside a fortnight, since each two-week block belongs to one parent. It is really only for teenagers, usually where distance makes weekly swaps impractical.

How to choose comes down to three questions: how much frequency the children’s ages call for, how many handovers you can sustain calmly, and how far apart you live. There is no universally best pattern — only the one your family can keep to.

Compare all schedules 50/50 schedules, on a calendar Build one in the app