From The Split-Night System at ushacareguide.com · Rajesh Harrykissoon, MD. Print, fill in names, put it on the refrigerator.
Template A — Symmetric split (two parents)
Shift
On call (primary responder)
Protected sleep (do not wake)
9:00 p.m. – 2:00 a.m. First shift — usually the night owl
name: ____________
name: ____________
2:00 a.m. – 7:00 a.m. Second shift — usually the early bird
name: ____________
name: ____________
Daytime protected rest window, parent 1:
Daytime protected rest window, parent 2:
Weekly full night off — this week:
On shift: every cry, feed, and diaper is yours. Off shift: you are not on call — no waking except a true emergency.
Handoff at 2:00 a.m., two sentences max: last feed (time and amount), last diaper, anything unusual, what to expect next. Details live in the log, not in memory.
Swap the harder block every 2–3 days, or hold a fixed split for weeks. Never swap weekly.
Off-shift parent sleeps in the dark (mask or blackout). On-shift parent uses dim red light only.
No caffeine within 6 hours of your sleep block. No drowsy driving — ever.
Template B — Return-to-work split with a morning helper shift
Shift
On call (primary responder)
Protected sleep (do not wake)
9:00 p.m. – 2:00 a.m. First shift — working parent
name: ____________
name: ____________
2:00 a.m. – 7:00 a.m. Overnight shift — parent at home
Same clock as Template A — only the roles change. The working parent takes the first shift so their protected 2:00–7:00 a.m. block ends right at the workday: asleep until it is time to get up, safe to drive, safe to work.
The morning shift exists so the overnight parent sleeps past 7:00 a.m. — it is worth as much as any night shift and is an easier ask of a helper.
The 7:00 a.m. handoff is asynchronous: the helper picks up from a night they did not see. Keep the log current so nobody has to wake anyone to ask a question.
All other rules from Template A apply: protected sleep is protected, red light at night, no caffeine within 6 hours of a sleep block, no drowsy driving.