Deciding on a co-parenting schedule is key to successful co-parenting.
Choosing a Co-parenting Schedule
When choosing a child custody co-parenting schedule, remember that it must work for your entire family. This means factoring in your schedule and your co-parent’s schedule, your kids’ schedules (including school and extra-curricular activities), and even traffic – since that can greatly impact time.
50/50 Co-parenting Schedules
There are many ways for parents to divide a co-parenting schedule. One of the main ones in a 50/50 child custody schedule. The easiest way to think of this is a child half his or her time with one parent, and the other half with the other. But there are various ways that this can be divided, and remember, it should be planned in a way that will put your children’s well-being first.
Types of 50/50 Co-parenting Schedules
Here are some 50/50 co-parenting schedules:
- Alternating weeks: one week with one parent, one week with the next.
- Alternating weeks with and Evening Visit: some families add a mid-week evening visit so the child never goes a full week without seeing either parent.
- Alternating Weeks With a Mid-Week Overnight
- A 2-2-3 Day Rotation: the child stays with Parent A for 2 days, Parent B for 2 days, and then spend a long 3-day weekend with Parent A. Next week, the routine flips, and the child spends the long 3-day weekend with Parent B.
- A 3-3-4-4 Day Rotation: the child spends three days with Parent A, three days with Parent B, and then four days with Parent A, followed by another four days with Parent B.
- A 2-2-5-5 Day Routine: the child stays with Parent A for 2 days, then Parent B for 2 days, followed by 5 days with Parent A and then 5 days with Parent B.
Joint Decision
There are many options for your co-parenting schedule. You might even decide that after a certain amount of time that your schedule doesn’t work and need to switch to a new schedule. Remember that being flexible and open to new suggestions will help make your plan a successful one that will work for everyone.
Source: AboutParenting.com, 6 Sample Joint Custody Schedules, 2015