Connecting Nests

Iowa · 2-2-5-5

2-2-5-5 in Iowa

Each parent has the same two weeknights every week, and the weekends alternate — so each parent gets a five-night block every other week. In Iowa this is written into a Parenting Plan, where time with a child is called visitation.

Build this plan for Iowa — 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 Iowa.

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 AABBAAA
2 AABBBBB

What Iowa expects

Iowa presumes joint legal custody is in the child's best interest when either parent requests it.

Governing law: Iowa Code § 598.41.

The honest trade-off

The best of both worlds for many families: every Monday-Tuesday is Mom's and every Wednesday-Thursday is Dad's (or the reverse), so activities and childcare land on the same days forever, and nobody goes more than five nights without the child. Fewer exchanges than 2-2-3 and far more predictable than alternating weeks.

Other schedules in Iowa