1st, 3rd and 5th Weekends - Visitation Schedule Examples

In this residential schedule, your child lives with one parent and spends the 1st, 3rd and 5th weekends of a month with the other parent.

In months with only four weekends, the child spends just the 1st and 3rd weekends with the parent he or she doesn't normally live with.

The 1st, 3rd and 5th weekends schedule gives one parent about 80% of the time with the child and the other parent about 20%.

Examples of 1st, 3rd and 5th weekends schedules

You can modify your 1st, 3rd and 5th weekends schedule so it works better for you and your child. Here are some example schedules.

Change the exchange times

Here is a schedule where the exchange times are Friday morning and Sunday evening. You can choose whatever exchange times work best for you.

Make one weekend longer

Here is a schedule where the 1st weekend visit is longer because it starts on Thursday. You can have the weekends start and stop whenever you want.

Add midweek visits

Here is a schedule with a Thursday visit to the dad on the weeks when he doesn't have the weekend. You can add midweek visits as often as you like.

Add overnight visits

Here is a schedule where the dad has an overnight Wednesday visit on the weeks when he doesn't have the weekend. You can add overnight visits as often as you like.

Use 3rd-party time

Here is a schedule that shows 3rd party time — when the child is in school or daycare and not with either parent. Including 3rd party time changes the parenting timeshare percentages.

Calculate your time

As you create your schedule you can use a visitation timeshare calculator so you know how much time each parent has with the child. This can help you as you consider options and negotiate with the other parent.

Pros and cons of a 1st, 3rd and 5th weekends schedule

Pros:

• The schedule is consistent, and it's easy to remember visitation time.
• It works if you and the other parent live far away from each other.
• The weekend times are flexible and can shift around employment schedules.
• It works well if one parent travels frequently.
• There are very few exchanges, so it can work for a high conflict situation.

Cons:

• Your child will have long periods without seeing one parent.
• One parent has substantially more time with the child, which can cause conflict over the schedule.
• The parent who has the child only on weekends doesn't get to participate in the weekday routine with the child.
• The parent who has the child only on weekends may not know what's going on with the child's school or other activities.
• It may conflict with the child's weekend activities.

The easiest way to make a 1st, 3rd and 5th weekends schedule

There's a lot to think about when you build a parenting time schedule. You'll want it to address holidays and school breaks, give the right amount of time to each parent, and work for years to come.

The Custody X Change app makes it easy. Just follow the steps to make a custody schedule.

On Step 2, select the "same weekends each month" button.

And on Step 3, use the dropdown boxes as follows:

• Monthly weekend options: Use the menu to set which parent gets the weekend visits.
• 5th weekend alternating: Decide how to handle fifth weekends in a month, which occur a handful of times a year. If the weekend parent will get them all, select "not alternating." If parents will trade off, select one of the other options.
• From: Enter the day and time for weekend visits to begin.
• To: Enter the day and time for weekend visits to end.
• Weekend's month determined by: Choose how to count weekends. For example, if you select "Thursday," a month with five Thursdays will count as having five weekends.

To make a custody schedule quickly and affordably, turn to Custody X Change. You'll get a written schedule and a visual calendar that meet your family's needs, as well as court standards.