The 2-2-3 schedule
A 2-2-3 schedule moves the children between homes in blocks of two, two and three nights, and the order swaps every week. Over two weeks each parent has seven nights, the weekends alternate, and nobody is away from either parent for more than three nights.
Also called 2-2-3 rotation, 3-2-2.
Two weeks of the 2-2-3 schedule
Parent A: 7 nightsParent B: 7 nights
- Nights every two weeks
- 7 and 7, an even split
- Handovers every two weeks
- 6
- Longest time away from either parent
- 3 nights
- Weekends
- Alternate every week
- Cycle starts on
- Friday
How the 2-2-3 schedule works, night by night
- Week 1, Friday night to Sunday night: Parent A, 3 nights
- Week 1, Monday and Tuesday nights: Parent B, 2 nights
- Week 1, Wednesday and Thursday nights: Parent A, 2 nights
- Week 2, Friday night to Sunday night: Parent B, 3 nights
- Week 2, Monday and Tuesday nights: Parent A, 2 nights
- Week 2, Wednesday and Thursday nights: Parent B, 2 nights
Then the two weeks repeat.
Advantages
- Short gaps: the children are never more than three nights from either parent.
- The weekends alternate, so each parent has a full weekend every other week.
- An even 50/50 split.
Drawbacks
- Six handovers every two weeks, the most of the common schedules.
- The weekdays swap each week, so a weekly class or practice lands with a different parent each time.
- It works best when both homes are close to each other and to school or childcare.
Who the 2-2-3 schedule suits
Younger children, who do better with no long gap: nobody is away from either parent for more than three nights. It asks for the most handovers of the built-in schedules, so it works best when both homes are close together.
Common variations
Families often use 2-2-3 while the children are young and move to 2-2-5-5 as they get older. 2-2-5-5 keeps the alternating weekends but fixes the weekdays, which cuts the handovers from six to four every two weeks.
Questions about the 2-2-3 schedule
Is 2-2-3 good for toddlers?
It is one of the schedules most often suggested for young children, because the longest time away from either parent is three nights. The cost is frequent handovers, so it works best when the homes are close together.
How many handovers does a 2-2-3 schedule have?
Six every two weeks. Each one is a change of home, so the schedule asks more of both parents' weekdays than any other common rotation.
What is the difference between 2-2-3 and 2-2-5-5?
Both split the time evenly and alternate the weekends. In 2-2-3 the weekdays swap every week. In 2-2-5-5 each parent keeps the same two weeknights every week, which means four handovers every two weeks instead of six, and a five-night stretch instead of three.
Setting it up in Coparia
2-2-3 is one of Coparia's built-in schedules. Choose it and the first handover Friday, and the calendar fills in from there.
Both parents see the same calendar, each day colored by whose it is, and a single day can be swapped without touching the pattern.
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