The 2-2-3 schedule: short stretches, alternating weekends

How it works

In week one, Parent 1 has Monday and Tuesday, Parent 2 has Wednesday and Thursday, and Parent 1 has Friday through Sunday. In week two the roles reverse: Parent 2 has Monday and Tuesday, Parent 1 has Wednesday and Thursday, and Parent 2 has the weekend.

Because the pattern flips each week, the weekdays a parent has are not the same from one week to the next. The two-week cycle is what repeats.

Who it may suit

• Families where neither parent wants to go more than a few nights without the children. In this pattern the longest stretch is three nights.
• Parents who live close to each other and to school, since there are many handoffs.
• Parents who can communicate well enough to manage frequent exchanges calmly.

Trade-offs to weigh

• More exchanges than most 50/50 schedules: six every two weeks. Each one is a chance for friction, a forgotten backpack or a late pickup.
• Weekdays rotate, so a standing Tuesday activity is with a different parent each week.
• Many parents move to a longer-stretch schedule, such as 2-2-5-5 or alternating weeks, as children get older. Build that into the plan or plan to revisit it.