2-2-3 and 5-5-2-2 custody schedules: a practical guide
Two of the most common shared-custody rotations, how they work, who they fit, and how to set them up in Co-Calendar with a reusable preset.
The 2-2-3 schedule
The 2-2-3 schedule splits a week so each parent has the children for blocks of two, two, and three days. Over two weeks every parent gets a long weekend, and no one goes more than three days without seeing the kids.
- Week 1 — Parent A: Mon–Tue · Parent B: Wed–Thu · Parent A: Fri–Sun
- Week 2 — Parent B: Mon–Tue · Parent A: Wed–Thu · Parent B: Fri–Sun
Best for: younger children (under ~7) who benefit from short gaps between visits, and parents who live close enough for mid-week handoffs.
Trade-offs: frequent transitions can be tiring for school-age kids and require well-coordinated logistics.
The 5-5-2-2 schedule
The 5-5-2-2 schedule keeps weekdays consistent — each parent has the same weekdays every week — while weekends rotate in 2-day blocks. Over a two-week cycle it lands at an even 50/50 split.
- Mon–Tue: always Parent A
- Wed–Thu: always Parent B
- Fri–Sun: alternates each weekend
Best for: school-age children who thrive on a stable weekday routine and parents with predictable work weeks.
Trade-offs: the off-parent goes up to five days without the kids, which can be a long stretch for some families.
2-2-3 vs 5-5-2-2 at a glance
| Factor | 2-2-3 | 5-5-2-2 |
|---|---|---|
| Longest gap | 3 days | 5 days |
| Handoffs per week | 3 | 2 |
| Weekday consistency | Rotates | Fixed |
| Best fit age | Under ~7 | School-age and up |
Setting it up in Co-Calendar
Co-Calendar's preset rhythms are designed for exactly this — you define each parent's "on" block once and then drop it on any day with a single click.
- Create a shared calendar with your co-parent and invite them from the share menu.
- In Presets, add one preset per parent (e.g. "With Mom", "With Dad"). Use the full-day activity toggle so the preset covers the whole day without specific times.
- Open the first day of your rotation and tap the preset to apply it. Use the day-dialog arrows to walk through the rotation and assign each day in a few minutes.
- For 5-5-2-2, set the weekday blocks first (they repeat every week), then alternate weekends across the two-week cycle.
Once the first two weeks are filled in, the rotation is visible at a glance and easy to copy forward.
Pick a schedule and build it
There's no single "best" custody schedule — the right one matches your kids' ages, school commitments, and how close the two homes are. Co-Calendar makes it cheap to try one for a month and adjust.