The 3-3-4-4 schedule gives each parent two blocks per two-week cycle — one of 3 days and one of 4 days. The first half of the cycle is short blocks, the second half is long blocks. It's a less common 50/50 variant for families who want the longer stretches consolidated.
Parent A has 3 days, then Parent B has 3 days, then Parent A has 4 days, then Parent B has 4 days. This 14-day cycle repeats, giving each parent exactly 7 overnights per cycle. The first week of the cycle has shorter blocks; the second week has longer blocks. Two transitions per week, four per cycle.
Kids see both parents within every 3- to 4-day window, so the bond stays warm. The shifting transition days are the main challenge — children old enough to track time on a calendar adjust within a few weeks; younger kids who learn schedules by 'Tuesday means Mom's house' do better with a fixed-weekday schedule like 2-2-5-5.
A family that wants longer stretches in the back half of each cycle (so one parent gets a stretch for an extended weekend trip every two weeks) sometimes picks 3-3-4-4 over 3-4-4-3. The longer blocks land predictably in week 2 of every cycle.
Before locking in any custody schedule, walk through these prompts with your coparent. The schedule itself is the easy part — making it work over years requires alignment on the things below.
If you want the same 4-and-3 day blocks but interleaved instead of consolidated, switch to 3-4-4-3 or 4-3-3-4. If you want fixed weekdays, switch to 2-2-5-5. If you want shorter blocks with more frequent contact, switch to 2-2-3.
Kidtime supports any custody arrangement — create your own pattern, set custom rotations, and track time automatically.