Free tool · Canada and US

Parenting schedule picker

Week on, week off? 2-2-3? Every other weekend? Enter your children's ages and how far apart the homes are, and compare two or three common schedules side by side, each with a two-week colour calendar you can print.

General information, not legal advice. This tool runs in your browser. Nothing you type is sent anywhere unless you choose to email yourself a link.

Your situation

Tell us a little about your family

Age of your youngest child

Age of your oldest child

Only one child? Choose the same age in both boxes.

Travel time between the two homes

Can the children get to school from both homes?

First parent's name or label

Second parent's name or label

Babies and toddlers

A note on overnights for children under 3

Views on overnights for very young children have changed over time, and professionals still weigh them differently. Older advice was to avoid overnights away from the main caregiver. More recent guidance, such as the AFCC-Ontario Parenting Plan Guide, says babies can form strong attachments to more than one caregiver, and that overnights with each parent may suit a child when that parent has been an involved, attuned caregiver who can feed, soothe and settle the child.

The same guidance says long stretches away from either parent are hard at this age, that frequent contact matters, and that many plans start with shorter, more frequent time and build up as the child copes well. What fits depends on your child's temperament, routines and how each of you has cared for them so far. A mediator or child development professional can help you decide together.

Read the AFCC-Ontario Parenting Plan Guide

What this is and isn't

General information, not advice for your situation

This tool is

A way to see what common parenting schedules look like on a calendar.
A starting point for a conversation with the other parent, a mediator or a lawyer.
Based on widely used schedules and published parenting plan guidance.

This tool isn't

A recommendation for your family, or a prediction of what a court would order.
A substitute for a parenting plan that covers holidays, decisions and communication.
Suitable where there are safety concerns. If there is family violence, get specialised help first.

Rules differ between provinces, territories and states, and they change. Before you rely on anything here, check it with a family lawyer, mediator or other qualified professional in your province or state.

Sources

Where this comes from

Official sources we checked on October 22, 2026.

AFCC-Ontario Parenting Plan Guide and Template Association of Family and Conciliation Courts, Ontario Chapter. Guide dated January 2020.
AFCC: family resources Includes AFCC's guide to shared parenting.
Department of Justice Canada: Parenting Plan Tool Page modified July 8, 2024.

Related on FairWell

Keep going on FairWell

Parenting schedules by age2-2-3, 2-2-5-5 and alternating weeks, explained.Build a parenting planSchedule, holidays, decisions and communication in one plan.Handovers without tearsMaking changeover days calmer for children.Long-distance parentingWhen the homes are far apart.The 40 percent ruleWhy the share of nights can matter for child support in Canada.Find a mediatorMediators and lawyers whose credentials we check.

Optional

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