Many parents struggle to put together a custody plan that will work well for their work schedules, personal responsibilities and their children's needs. There are dozens of styles of custody that work for people in all kinds of situations, so there is no one-size-fits-all method to determine what will work for you.

One kind of schedule you may want to eliminate as an option, though, is the biweekly schedule. While it can work for some people, if you have younger children, this plan isn't always as successful. Here's why.

The trouble with an alternating weekly schedule

In an alternating weekly schedule, each parent has seven days of custody before sending their child to the other person's home. This gives them both exactly the same amount of time over the course of a year.

This schedule can work well if parents live close together or if they have work schedules where they can work less during the weeks when they have custody, but this is a less-beneficial schedule for younger kids.

Depending on your child's age, they may struggle with separation anxiety, feelings of detachment or other issues. While you can help that with virtual visitation, phone calls and more during the week, that isn't the same as seeing the other parent in person.

A better option may be to have one parent have custody on weekends with a mid-week visit. You could also switch custody every three or four days in a 3-4-4-3 schedule.

The perfect schedule for your situation will depend on many factors. It's vital, however, to consider the psychological impact of any schedule on your child.