Age-Based Guidelines for Parenting Plans and Schedules

Divorced or separated parents need a parenting time schedule. It's common to reassess your schedule every few years as your child grows.

Toddlers, for example, shouldn't be away from either parent for more than two or three days. Teenagers, on the other hand, want independence and may not mind being apart from a parent for over a week.

Your schedule is part of your larger parenting plan, which explains how you'll parent. Make your plan flexible so you'll be less likely to update it. You might say, for example, that you'll enroll your child in guitar lessons now and reassess when they start high school. You might also promise to try mediation before returning to court.

For help addressing your children's current and future needs, use the age-based guidelines below.

Guidelines for your child's age

Baby parenting plans and custody schedules
Birth to 18 months old

Toddler parenting plans and custody schedules
18 months to 3 years old

Preschooler parenting plans and custody schedules
3 to 5 years old

School-age child parenting plans and custody schedules
5 to 13 years old

Teenager parenting plans and custody schedules
13 to 18 years old