2-2-3, 5-2-2-5 or week on, week off: compare schedules

01What you need

• Two printed blank two-week calendarsFree
• Two colored pens, one for each homeHave
• Your court order or parenting plan, if you have oneHave
• The school calendar and both work schedulesHave

Where: Somewhere quiet with the calendars spread out, away from the kids.

02Steps

1. Start from what's already decided

   YouIf a court order or parenting plan sets your schedule, that's your schedule. Use this to understand the options before you talk with your co-parent, a mediator or a family-law attorney. Ohio's court guide says there's no standard schedule that fits all families, and a court may reject a proposed schedule or set its own.

2. Map 2-2-3 on two weeks

   YouTwo weekday overnights with each parent, then three weekend overnights, flipping each week. For example: Week 1, you have Monday and Tuesday, the other house Wednesday and Thursday, you Friday to Sunday. Week 2 flips. Michigan's court guide notes the child sees each parent every couple of days, but the days change each week, which can complicate plans, and the week may feel broken up.

3. Map 5-2-2-5 on two weeks

   YouEach parent keeps the same two weekdays every week, and weekends alternate. For example: you always have Monday and Tuesday, the other house always has Wednesday and Thursday, and Friday to Sunday alternates. That makes five-day stretches with each parent. Michigan's guide says school days stay predictable, and some kids struggle with five full days away from a parent.

4. Map week on, week off

   YouSeven days with one parent, then seven with the other, with the same handoff day each week. Some families add a midweek visit or overnight with the other parent. Michigan's guide notes fewer exchanges and longer blocks of time, but cautions it may not suit all children, young children in particular. Ohio's notes it can mean little or no time with one parent on alternating weeks.

5. Line it up with your kid's age

   YouMichigan's guide says children 3 to 5 can remember a parent over two- to three-day separations; school-age kids are usually fine with several overnights in a row and do best without many transitions in one week; teens need flexibility for school, friends, activities and jobs, with parents making the final call. Ohio's guide says many teens prefer one home base with set time at the other home, and some prefer 50-50.

6. Talk through the questions

   YouBoth guides list things to weigh. Ask yourselves: How far apart are the homes, and can the kids get to school from both? Did both of you handle day-to-day care before? How well do you two communicate? Where do work shifts, childcare and activities fit? How does each kid handle time away from each parent? Where and how will exchanges happen?

7. Bring options, not a verdict

   Both of youFill in two or three options on the calendars and share them as ideas: "Here are three ways it could look. Which parts work for you?" If you can't agree, ask whether your court offers mediation, as Ohio's guide suggests, and talk to a family-law attorney before you sign or change anything.

03If it stalls

• If your co-parent wants a different pattern, ask what problem it solves for them: a commute, a work shift, a kid's practice. The answer is often a tweak, not a fight.
• If your kids are different ages, Michigan's guide notes that separate time with each child sometimes makes sense, and that siblings should often get to stay together.
• If a teen says "I want to live at one house," listen and take it seriously, but keep the decision with the adults. Michigan's guide says a child should never carry the burden of choosing between parents.

04Variations

05Sources

• Michigan's sample schedules and age considerations. The Michigan Supreme Court's State Court Administrative Office describes 2-2-3 (two weekday overnights with each parent, then three weekend overnights, alternating each week), 5-2-2-5 (the same two weekday overnights each week, alternating weekends) and alternating weeks, with the advantages, disadvantages and situations each works in, and cautions that alternating weeks may not suit young children. It describes scheduling considerations by age and says the guideline is a tool, not the law. Michigan Supreme Court, State Court Administrative Office Checked Oct 15, 2026
• Ohio's questions to consider and teen schedules. The Supreme Court of Ohio's guide says there is no standard parenting schedule that fits all families, a court may reject a proposed schedule or create its own, and lists questions to consider such as distance between homes, communication, childcare and exchanges. It notes alternating 7-day schedules can leave little or no time with one parent on alternating weeks, that many teens prefer a primary home base and some a 50-50 schedule, suggests asking the court about mediation, and warns that negotiating schedules can violate a protection order that bars contact. Supreme Court of Ohio Checked Oct 15, 2026

Where the idea came from: a suggestion in a r/coparenting thread, put in our own words. The facts above come from the sources listed, not the thread.