Connecting Nests

Illinois · 3-4-4-3

3-4-4-3 in Illinois

One parent has three nights and the other four, then it flips the following week. In Illinois this is written into a Parenting Plan, where time with a child is called parenting time.

Build this plan for Illinois — free

Template for educational use — not legal advice. Consult a licensed attorney in your state. Laws change; confirm current requirements with a licensed attorney in Illinois.

The rotation

A = one parent, B = the other. Each cell is one overnight. This rotation divides regular school-year overnights 50/50 — about 182 and 182 nights a year.
WeekMonTueWedThuFriSatSun
1 AAABBBB
2 AAAABBB

What Illinois expects

Illinois abolished 'custody' in 2016. Parents must file a proposed parenting plan within 120 days of a petition. The statute enumerates required contents — decision-making by category, the schedule, transportation, relocation notice, and a right-of-first-refusal provision if the parents want one.

Governing law: 750 ILCS 5/602.10.

The honest trade-off

Exchanges land on the same two days every week, which makes it easy to remember, and no one waits more than four nights. The trade is that which parent has the weekend flips each week, so weekend plans need a two-week memory.

Other schedules in Illinois