3-4-4-3 Custody Schedule (Also 4-3-3-4)

The 3-4-4-3 schedule splits every fortnight into blocks of three, four, four and three nights. It sits between 2-2-3 and alternating weeks: no more than four nights away from a parent, and four exchanges every two weeks.

The 3-4-4-3 schedule at a glance

Pattern: three nights with parent A, four with parent B, four with parent A, three with parent B — then it repeats. Also called 4-3-3-4: the same loop, read from a different block.
Split: 7 of 14 nights each — 50/50, about 182 to 183 nights a year each.
Exchanges: 4 every two weeks. Longest stretch away from a parent: 4 nights.
The catch: where the weekends land depends entirely on which day the rotation starts. Choose it deliberately.

How the 3-4-4-3 schedule works

Across a fortnight the blocks run 3, 4, 4, 3 nights, handing over after each. In the example below, parent A has Monday to Wednesday, parent B has Thursday to Sunday, parent A then has Monday to Thursday of week two, and parent B finishes with Friday to Sunday.

Each cell shows which parent the child sleeps with that night. A and B are the two parents; the rotation repeats every two weeks.
Week	Mon	Tue	Wed	Thu	Fri	Sat	Sun
1	A	A	A	B	B	B	B
2	A	A	A	A	B	B	B

Because the blocks are different lengths, the two weeks look different, so there is no simple "my week" shorthand. And as the grid shows, a rotation that starts on a Monday leaves parent B with every weekend in this layout: all four Friday and Saturday nights in the cycle.

Where the weekends land

This is the part of 3-4-4-3 that catches families out. Count Friday and Saturday nights across the 14-night loop and the result depends on the start day. Of the 14 days the loop could begin on, only two split those four weekend nights evenly (two each); eight give one parent all four, and four give a three-to-one split. If weekends matter to you — and for most families they do — pick the start day so that the weekend nights are shared the way you want, or agree to swap a block each cycle.

Overnights and percentages

Each parent has 7 of 14 nights: 50%, about 182 to 183 nights a year each, whichever day the loop starts on.

Pros of 3-4-4-3

No long gaps. The longest stretch away from a parent is 4 nights, shorter than alternating weeks or 2-2-5-5.
Fewer exchanges than 2-2-3. 4 every two weeks against 6.
Even over two weeks. Exactly seven nights each, with no make-up days.
Each parent gets ordinary days and several consecutive nights. A three- or four-night block is long enough to run a household.

Cons of 3-4-4-3

The weekends are not automatically fair. See above: the start day decides who has them.
Week 1 and week 2 look different. A child (and two busy adults) has to track a rotation that changes from one week to the next.
Midweek exchanges every week. The homes need to be near the school.
Less well-known. Some courts and mediators are more used to alternating weeks and 2-2-3, so spell out the pattern and start date in writing.

Who 3-4-4-3 tends to suit

It tends to suit school-age children whose parents want a 50/50 split without week-long absences or the six handovers of 2-2-3, and parents who live close enough to manage midweek exchanges. It sits between the two simplest rotations, so it is worth trying if alternating weeks feels too long and 2-2-3 has too many handovers.

Making 3-4-4-3 work in practice

Write the start date and first block down. With blocks of different lengths, "my week" is not a useful shorthand. A calendar both parents see is.
Choose where the weekends fall. Decide, before you start, whether weekend nights are shared evenly or one parent keeps them, and who gets the holiday weekends.
Keep exchanges calm. Easing transitions between homes is worth a read for four handovers a fortnight.

Setting up the 3-4-4-3 schedule in the Co-parenting app

The app supports fully custom schedules, so the 3-4-4-3 schedule can be built night by night. 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

Compare with 2-2-3, 2-2-5-5 and alternating weeks, or see all of them in custody schedule examples.

Frequently asked questions

What is a 3-4-4-3 custody schedule?

A 50/50 rotation in which the child spends three nights with one parent, four with the other, four with the first parent, then three with the second, before the loop repeats. Each parent has seven of every 14 nights.

Is 3-4-4-3 the same as 4-3-3-4?

Yes — it is the same loop read from a different block. What matters is which parent has the first block, and on which date it starts.

What is the longest time a child is away from a parent in 3-4-4-3?

4 nights.

Who gets the weekends in a 3-4-4-3 schedule?

It depends on the day the rotation starts. Of the 14 possible starting days, only two split Friday and Saturday nights evenly across the loop. If weekends matter, choose the start day on purpose or agree on a regular swap.

How many exchanges does 3-4-4-3 have?

4 every two weeks.

Last updated:

2 November 2026

The app's calendar on a phone, showing each parent's weeks with the children as coloured bars

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