Housing & practical matters
2-2-5-5 Custody Schedule (Also 5-2-2-5)
The 2-2-5-5 custody schedule, also called 5-2-2-5 or 2-5-5-2: a two-week calendar, overnights per year, exchanges, pros and cons, and who it suits.
2-2-3 Custody Schedule: How It Works
In a 2-2-3 schedule the child never goes more than three nights without seeing a parent. The trade-off is more handovers: six every two weeks. Here is how the rotation runs, and what it asks of both households.
The 2-2-3 schedule at a glance
- Pattern: in week 1, parent A has Monday–Tuesday, parent B has Wednesday–Thursday and parent A has Friday–Sunday; in week 2 the two parents swap.
- Split: 7 of 14 nights each — 50/50, about 182 to 183 nights a year each.
- Exchanges: 6 every two weeks.
- Longest stretch away from a parent: 3 nights.
How the 2-2-3 schedule works
The name describes the blocks in the first week: two nights with one parent, two with the other, then three nights with the first parent again. In the second week the roles swap: parent B has Monday and Tuesday, parent A has Wednesday and Thursday, and parent B has the weekend. Over two weeks each parent has seven nights, and the child changes homes three times as often as in alternating weeks.
| Week | Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | A | A | B | B | A | A | A |
| 2 | B | B | A | A | B | B | B |
In the grid, parent A has Monday–Tuesday and Friday–Sunday in week 1, and Wednesday–Thursday in week 2. Parent B has the mirror image. No block is longer than three nights, and because the rotation swaps every week, each parent has every day of the week once in the two-week cycle.
Overnights and percentages
Each parent has 7 of 14 nights: 50%, about 182 to 183 nights a year. Weekend nights (Friday and Saturday) are shared evenly too: 2 each over a full rotation.
Pros of 2-2-3
- Short gaps. The longest the child is away from either parent is 3 nights, which is why this schedule is often used for younger children.
- Both parents get weekdays and weekends. Neither parent is only the weekend parent.
- Every day of the week is shared. Each weekday and each weekend day falls to each parent once every two weeks, so neither parent is always the school-night parent or always the weekend parent.
- Even over two weeks. The count is exact, with no need for make-up days.
Cons of 2-2-3
- Many exchanges. Six handovers every two weeks means a lot of packing, travel and chances for friction. Parents who struggle with exchanges often find this one wearing.
- It needs the homes to be close. Midweek exchanges only work if the child can reach school from both homes without a long journey.
- Weekday activities change hands. A Tuesday class is one parent's responsibility one week and the other's the next, so activity logistics need to be shared in writing.
- Harder for a child who finds changes hard. Some children settle better with longer stretches in one place.
Who 2-2-3 tends to suit
It is a common choice for babies, toddlers and younger school-age children, because of the short gaps, and for parents who live near each other and communicate reasonably well. It is a poorer fit where handovers are tense, where the homes are far apart, or where a parent's work makes a regular midweek exchange hard. If conflict at exchanges is the main worry, alternating weeks has a third as many.
Making 2-2-3 work in practice
- Keep a bag that follows the child. With a handover every two or three days, a packing list and a bag that lives with the child save daily friction. The app's shared packing list is built for this.
- Exchange at school or daycare where you can. A handover at the school gate is quick and keeps parents from meeting on tense days.
- Put the school calendar in. Half-days, holidays and teacher training days change which parent is on duty. Read shared routines for children in two homes for the household-routine side.
- Write down holidays. The rotation pauses for holidays; agree in advance how.
Setting up the 2-2-3 schedule in the Co-parenting app
the 2-2-3 schedule is one of the schedule templates in the app. Pick it in the calendar, choose the date the first rotation starts, and see how it falls across the year before you send it to your co-parent.
A schedule is only a proposal until the other parent accepts it, so you can try it out without committing either of you to anything. Once it is active, neither of you can change it on your own: every change is a request the other parent has to accept, and what you both see in the calendar is always what you both agreed to.
School holidays and public holidays are filled in for where you live, so you can see where the rotation runs into spring break or a long weekend while it is still a proposal. The FAQ covers templates, change requests and holidays in more detail.
Related schedules
Prefer fewer exchanges? Look at 2-2-5-5, which keeps the 50/50 split with 4 exchanges instead of 6, or alternating weeks. For the comparison table, see custody schedule examples.
Frequently asked questions
What is a 2-2-3 custody schedule?
A 50/50 rotation in which one parent has the child for two nights, the other for two nights, and then the first parent for three nights; the next week the pattern is mirrored. Each parent ends up with seven nights out of every 14.
How many overnights does each parent get in a 2-2-3 schedule?
Seven of every 14 nights, which is 50%. Over a year that is about 182 or 183 nights each.
Is 2-2-3 the same as 2-2-5-5?
No. Both are 50/50 and both are built from two-night blocks, but 2-2-5-5 keeps the weekdays fixed and alternates five-night blocks, so it has 4 exchanges every two weeks instead of 6 and a longest stretch of 5 nights instead of 3.
Is 2-2-3 good for toddlers?
Its short gaps are the main reason it is commonly suggested for toddlers: the child is never more than three nights from either parent. The many handovers are the cost, so it works best when the parents live close and handovers are calm.
How are holidays handled with a 2-2-3 schedule?
The regular rotation usually pauses for holidays and school breaks, and a separate rule decides who has the child — alternating years for major holidays and splitting longer breaks are the common approaches. The rotation then resumes.
2 November 2026
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