The 3-4-4-3 schedule gives each parent one shorter block (3 days) and one longer block (4 days) per two-week cycle. It balances weekday and weekend time evenly between both parents and asks for fewer transitions than the 2-2-3.
In Week 1, Parent A has 3 days and Parent B has 4 days. In Week 2, it flips — Parent B has 3 days and Parent A has 4 days. Two transitions per week, four per cycle. Both parents get a mix of weekday and weekend time over the two-week cycle, and neither parent is stuck with all the school nights or all the weekends.
The 3- and 4-day blocks let kids settle in at each home without the constant repacking of a 2-2-3, while staying short enough that neither parent feels far away. Most school-age children adjust within a few weeks. The shifting day-of-week pattern can confuse younger kids who learn schedules by 'Tuesday means Mom's house' — for under-7s, a fixed-weekday schedule like 2-2-5-5 is often easier.
Parents who both work 9-to-5 and want equal time with school-age kids often choose 3-4-4-3 because it splits weekdays evenly across the two-week cycle. Neither parent ends up always being the one who packs lunches Monday morning, and weekends rotate naturally.
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 balanced split but with fixed weekdays per parent, switch to 2-2-5-5 — easier to remember, same true 50/50. If 4-day blocks feel too short and you want longer stretches, move to alternating weeks. If you want the shorter 2-2-3 block sizes for more frequent contact, the 2-2-3 is the closest neighbor going the other direction.
Kidtime supports any custody arrangement — create your own pattern, set custom rotations, and track time automatically.