Parents in Maryland and the D.C. area who are no longer together should create the best co-parenting schedule for their kids. Some experts advise skipping the alternating weeks plan for something else.
Why is the 50/50 plan not the best?
The alternating weeks child custody plan is also known as the 50/50 schedule. Your child spends one week with you and the next week with their other parent. Children can suffer separation anxiety going a full week without seeing a parent.
You and your ex might find this schedule difficult if your split wasn’t amicable. It means you would have to be in more frequent contact with one another about your child. It can also clash with your work schedules.
What custody plans are better alternatives?
Two types of child custody schedules could be better alternatives to the 50/50 arrangement. The 2-2-3 schedule allows your child to stay with you for two days, with their other parent for the following two days and then back with you the next three days. After that week is over, you rotate the schedule between you and your ex. This arrangement is practical if you and your ex live very close to one another.
The 3-3-4-4 custody schedule might also work well for everyone. With this arrangement, your child spends three days with you, the next three with your ex, the next four with you and then the next four days with your ex. What makes this schedule so attractive to everyone is that your child spends alternating Saturdays with either parent. It means that you and your ex each get to enjoy quality time with them for one weekend day regularly.
You might also consider the 5-2 schedule, which allows your child to spend five days with one parent and then two days with the other. You alternate the time after the first week.