2-2-5-5 schedule—anyone else using this?

Dec 71 min read

Been doing 2-2-5-5 with my kids (ages 4 and 8) for about 6 months now and it's honestly working way better than the standard every-other-weekend thing we tried first. Less transition days, kids seem more settled. Only downside is it requires way more coordination on the weekly stuff (school pickups, etc) and my ex and I have to actually get along to make it work. We use OurFamilyWizard for logistics which helps. Curious if anyone else is doing something similar and what you think of it?

9 comments238 views

Comments(9)

FFrank K.RegularDec 7

thinking about proposing this to my ex. did you have to get a mediator involved or was it a pretty straightforward conversation about trying something different?

RRon D.New DadDec 7

This is actually what my lawyer recommended when we were settling. Fewer transitions = less conflict = better for kids. The weekday parenting is way more manageable than the constant back-and-forth too imo

RRay C.RegularDec 9

6 months in is the sweet spot where you can actually tell if something works. Did your ex also notice them seeming more settled or is that just your observation?

SSteve B.RegularDec 9

The longer blocks make sense for older kids but curious if the transitions at the 2-day mark are rough. Our 5yo gets weird on day 2 like she's just remembering how to be at that parent's house

FFrank D.RegularDec 9

we switched to 2-2-5-5 about a year ago and yeah, way fewer meltdowns about 'i don't wanna leave.' the pattern makes sense to their brains instead of the chaos of every other weekend

EEd P.RegularDec 9

How's the transition going for your 4yo? That's the part I'm worried about with this schedule. My youngest loses it when switching between houses even on the 2-2-5 days. Did it take a while for him to adjust?

WWes B.RegularDec 8

The less transitions thing is what actually convinced me. My 8yo seemed way less anxious overall once we did this. How are you handling school pickups on the transition days?

TTyler K.RegularDec 9

How old are yours? Asking because we're about to switch from every-other-weekend and I'm trying to figure out if 2-2-5-5 makes sense for a 3yo and 6yo or if that's too much transition still

VVic H.RegularDec 9

Wait so you mean 2 days with mom, 2 days with dad, then 5 with one parent and 5 with the other? That actually sounds less chaotic than what we're doing. How much does the 4yo struggle with remembering which house has what stuff?