Parenting Schedule Articles

Most family law recognizes that children benefit from ongoing contact with both parents.

Courts prefer equal time (50/50) in some locations (except when it's not safe for the child or not feasible for the parents). According to the U.S. National Parents' Organization, the states that most strongly favor shared parenting as of 2025 are Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Kentucky, Missouri and West Virginia.

Your timesplit may affect your child support (child maintenance) order. Each location may have its own rules for how a parenting arrangement affects the support amount.

With Custody X Change, you can make visual custody schedules, share schedules with your co-parent, inform each other of day-to-day changes to your routine and be notified of upcoming exchanges.

Scheduling topics

Overview
The various types of schedules, plus how to get yours down on paper

50/50 schedules
Schedules like alternating weeks, 2 weeks each, 3-4-4-3 and more

60/40 schedules
Schedules like every extended weekend, 4-3 and Ackerman

70/30 schedules
Schedules like every weekend, 5-2, every 3rd week and every 3rd day

80/20 schedules
Schedules like alternating weekends and 1st/3rd/5th weekends

90/10 schedules
Schedules like daytime visits only

Age-based schedules
Tips for age-appropriate schedules whether your child is a newborn or a teenager

Special circumstances
Guidelines for temporary schedules, military custody schedules, etc.

Quiz: What schedule is best for you?
Answer four questions and we'll give you some schedule ideas for your situation.

If you're co-parenting, you may want to try Custody X Change. It helps you keep track of your schedule, calculate your parenting time and write a parenting plan.

Make My Schedule and Plan Now

Six reasons to use Custody X Change

1. Organize your evidence

Track your expenses, journal what happens, and record actual time.

2. Co-parent civilly

Our private messaging system detects hostile language.

3. Get accurate calculations

No more estimating. Our automatic calculations remove the guesswork.

4. Succeed by negotiating

Our detailed visuals and plans make it easier to reach consensus.

5. Never miss an event

Get notifications and reminders for all exchanges and activities.

6. Save on legal fees

Our templates walk you through each step to reduce billable time.

Make My Schedule & Plan