The 2-2-3 custody schedule explained
The 2-2-3 schedule is one of the most popular 50/50 co-parenting arrangements, especially for families with younger children. The name sounds technical, but the idea is simple: the children spend 2 days with one parent, 2 days with the other, then 3 days back with the first — and it flips each week. Here's exactly how it works.
How the 2-2-3 rotation works
It runs on a two-week cycle. Say the changeover day is Monday:
Notice two things. First, across the fortnight each parent has the kids for exactly 7 nights — a true 50/50 split. Second, because the pattern flips in week 2, the weekends alternate: Parent A gets the weekend in week 1, Parent B in week 2. So neither parent ends up with "all the weekdays" or "all the fun weekends."
Is 2-2-3 really 50/50?
Yes. Over the full two-week cycle it's 7 nights each. Within a single week it can look uneven (one parent has 4 days, the other 3), but it always balances out across the fortnight.
Pros and cons
Strengths
- Kids never go more than 3 days without seeing either parent
- Genuinely even 50/50 time
- Weekends are shared fairly
- Great for younger children who need frequent contact
Trade-offs
- Frequent handovers (3–4 a week) — needs parents to live close
- More changeovers can mean more touchpoints between co-parents
- Kids move between homes often — some find this unsettling
- Easy to lose track of whose day it is without a shared calendar
Who does 2-2-3 suit best?
It's a strong fit when:
- Your children are younger and benefit from seeing both parents often.
- You and your co-parent live close — ideally within the same school catchment.
- Handovers are reasonably low-conflict, since there are several each week.
As kids get older, many families shift from 2-2-3 to a week-about or 2-2-5-5 pattern with fewer changeovers. There's no rule that says you have to stick with one forever.
The catch: keeping track
The one real downside of 2-2-3 is mental load. With the pattern flipping every week and 3–4 handovers in it, "wait, is it my night?" becomes a genuine weekly question — and that's before you add school holidays, swaps and the kids' activities. This is exactly the kind of thing a shared calendar removes.
Set up a 2-2-3 calendar in under a minute
SplitTime has a 2-2-3 preset built in. Pick it, invite your co-parent, and you'll both see the same colour-coded calendar — including whose day it is, school holidays and any swaps. Free to try.