Maybe you just told your family, and your sister already asked where you're registered. Or you're 22 weeks along, the shower date is set, and the registry is still three things in a cart. Either way, you're asking when to start a baby registry, and most registry guides give a loose window, like "sometime in the second trimester," without telling you what the real deadline is.

Here's a more useful answer. Below is a week-by-week baby registry timeline tied to the one date that drives everything else: when your shower invitations go out. It works for a first registry or a small one for a second baby. If you're skipping a registry entirely, see what to buy without a baby registry instead.

The short answer: work backward from your shower date

In short: pick your shower week first, then count back.

Most guests open the registry right after the invitation arrives. If the registry is still private, or has 15 items on it, early shoppers buy off-list. That's how you end up with four of the same swaddle and no car seat.

So the order is: shower date, then invitation date, then registry deadline. Use these rules:

• Shower: most land between 28 and 34 weeks. That's late enough that everyone knows about the baby, and early enough that you're still comfortable and unlikely to deliver first.
• Invitations: 4 to 6 weeks before the shower. Go to 6 to 8 weeks if many guests travel or the shower falls near a major holiday.
• Registry public: 8 weeks before the shower, or 2 weeks before invitations, whichever is earlier. That gives your host the link and gives you time to fill gaps.
• Final check: 2 weeks before the shower, when last-minute shoppers are buying.

If nobody has picked a date yet, plan for a shower at 30 weeks. It sits in the middle of the usual window and gives you a clear target: registry public by 22 weeks.

Baby registry timeline: what to do at 8, 12, 16, 20 and 28 weeks

This table maps each registry task to the shower planning happening at the same time. The notes below it explain the decisions at each stage.

8 weeks: a private list, not a registry

You don't need a registry this early. You need a running list. Keep a note on your phone and add anything that catches your eye: the bottle a friend likes, the stroller you saw at the park, the question you want to ask your partner.

This is also the time to take stock of what's coming your way. Write down every hand-me-down and loan you've been offered, because each one is something you won't register for. If the early weeks feel uncertain, that's one more reason to keep things private. A notes list costs nothing and can move into a registry whenever you're ready.

12 weeks: choose where to register and keep it private

Many people wait until after the first trimester to share news, so this is a natural time to open the registry itself. Most registry sites let you keep it private or hidden from search until you choose to share it.

Decide where it lives:

• One universal registry if you want items from big retailers and small shops on one list. Guests get one link.
• One store's registry if you care most about that store's perks and return policy.
• Two at most. Every extra link raises the odds of duplicates and confused grandparents.

Before you add a single item, set the shipping address to your home and read the return policy. Check how long returns last and when the clock starts. Some windows start on the purchase date, so a gift bought at week 22 may be past its window by the time your baby arrives.

16 weeks: build the core and talk to your host

Now add the essentials by category: sleep, feeding, diapering, bath, clothing, gear and health basics. Our Buy, Skip or Borrow registry checklist goes category by category, so you're not copying a retailer's 150-item list.

For the big three (car seat, stroller and sleep space), research now and add them once you've decided. Test strollers in person if you can. The fold and the weight matter more than photos show.

This is also when your host should pick a shower week and a rough guest count. The guest count tells you how big your registry needs to be.

20 weeks: balance it, then make it public

The anatomy scan usually happens around 18 to 22 weeks. If you're finding out the sex and want anything that depends on it, add it now. Most essentials don't.

Then check the balance. Every price band should have real choices, and there should be a handful of items for 6 to 12 months, not just the newborn weeks. Make the registry public, turn on search and send the link to your host so it can go out with the invitations.

28 weeks: restock and let guests shop

The shower window opens. Two weeks before your shower, look at what's been bought and restock whichever price band has emptied out. Remove anything you bought yourself so nobody duplicates it.

If you registered for anything personalized or made to order, add a note for guests. These items often need a week or two to make and ship, so they should be ordered 2 to 3 weeks before the shower, not the week of.

How big should your registry be before invites go out?

In short: more choices than guests, spread across four price bands.

A good rule is two to three gift options per invited household. That way the last person to shop still has real choices. If 25 households are invited, aim for 50 to 75 options, counting quantities. Asking for three packs of burp cloths counts as three.

Spread those options across price bands. Typical ranges for these categories:

• Under $25: burp cloths, bibs, bottles, washcloths, fitted crib sheets, board books, a nail file or clipper set.
• $25 to $50: sleep sacks, a baby bathtub, a changing pad, a nursing pillow, a diaper caddy.
• $50 to $100: a bouncer, a play gym, a basic monitor, a diaper bag.
• $100 and up: car seat, stroller, crib, high chair. Mark these as group gifts, or add a fund if your registry allows it.

Put the most choices in the two lower bands. That's where individual gifts from coworkers, neighbors and friends tend to land, while relatives and group gifts can cover the rest. One thing to leave off every band: anything that goes in the crib besides a fitted sheet, such as bumpers, pillows or sleep positioners.

Register past the newborn stage, too. Babies outgrow newborn diapers and clothes quickly, so add diapers in sizes 1 and 2, clothes in 3–6 and 6–9 months, and a few things for starting solids. Newborns also need fewer clothes than most people expect. Our guide to how many clothes a newborn actually needs breaks it down by size.

When the standard timeline doesn't fit

The week-by-week plan assumes one baby and a shower in the third trimester. Plenty of families don't fit that, and the fix is usually to shift the whole plan, not rebuild it.

Twins, multiples or a chance of early delivery

Twins and multiples are more likely to arrive early, and some pregnancies come with bed rest or other limits. Ask your provider what to expect, and consider moving everything 4 to 6 weeks earlier: a shower around 24 to 28 weeks, with the registry public by 16 to 20.

A second baby or a sprinkle

A smaller shower for a second baby calls for a shorter list. Focus on what wore out, what you gave away, diapers and wipes, and anything that changes with two kids, like a double stroller. You can start around 20 weeks and still be on time.

A shower near the holidays

Showers in November or December compete with travel, parties and slower shipping. Send invitations 6 to 8 weeks out, and make the registry public about 10 weeks before the shower. Add extra choices in the lower price bands, since guests are buying other gifts too. If your baby is due in the colder months, think about the season they'll be in at six months as well. Our guide to shower gifts for a fall or winter due date covers what's needed at birth versus later.

A shower after the baby arrives

Some families would rather celebrate once the baby is home. Make the registry public before your due date anyway, because relatives often want to send something at the birth. Then lean toward 3 to 12 month items, since the newborn stage will be mostly covered.

Adoption, surrogacy or foster placement

When the date can move, and you may not know the baby's exact size or age, build the registry early and keep it private so you can share it the moment you're ready. Register across a range of sizes and include gift cards, which bend with whatever the timing turns out to be.

Guests who live far away

Out-of-town and virtual guests will ship their gifts, so they need the link sooner. Double-check the shipping address on the registry, and ask your host to suggest ordering at least two weeks before the shower.

After the shower: finishing the last few weeks

The shower isn't the end of the registry. The weeks after it are when you close the gaps.

1. Send thank-you notes. Aim for within two to three weeks, while you still remember who sent the bath set. Keep a running list as gifts are opened.
2. Handle returns and exchanges early. Swap duplicates for items still missing. Keep boxes and receipts for big gear until you're sure it fits your car and your space.
3. Check for a completion discount. Many registry programs offer a discount on remaining items for a set window around your due date. Read the terms so you know when it starts and ends.
4. Buy the gaps yourself within a week or two after the shower, and no later than about 36 weeks. Anything you need in the first two weeks at home, like diapers, a sleep space and a car seat, shouldn't wait on a late gift.
5. Install and check the car seat a few weeks before your due date. NHTSA's car seat page explains how to find a certified technician who can check the install.
6. Check borrowed gear for recalls. Look up cribs, bassinets, swings and strollers on the CPSC recall list. Skip a secondhand car seat unless you know its full history and it's within its expiration date.

Leave the registry open after your baby arrives. Relatives who missed the shower often shop from it later, and it's an easy place to point anyone who asks what you need.

Printable baby registry timeline checklist

Looking for a baby registry checklist PDF? Print this list, or use your browser's Print option and choose "Save as PDF." This list covers when to do each task. For what goes on the registry itself, use the Buy, Skip or Borrow checklist linked above.

• ☐  By 8 weeks: start a private notes list of items and questions
• ☐  By 8 weeks: write down every hand-me-down and loan you've been offered
• ☐  By 12 weeks: pick one registry (two at most) and set it to private
• ☐  By 12 weeks: set the shipping address and read the return policy
• ☐  By 16 weeks: add core essentials by category
• ☐  By 16 weeks: agree on a shower week (28 to 34) and a rough guest count with your host
• ☐  By 20 weeks: decide on and add the car seat, stroller and sleep space
• ☐  By 20 weeks: aim for 2 to 3 options per invited household, across four price bands
• ☐  By 20 weeks: add a few 6 to 12 month items
• ☐  8 weeks before the shower, or 2 weeks before invitations, whichever is earlier: make the registry public and send the link to your host
• ☐  4 to 6 weeks before the shower: host sends invitations
• ☐  2 weeks before the shower: restock empty price bands and remove items you bought
• ☐  Within 2 to 3 weeks after the shower: send thank-you notes
• ☐  Within a week or two after the shower, and no later than about 36 weeks: buy any remaining essentials
• ☐  A few weeks before your due date: install and check the car seat

If you only remember one thing, make it this: the registry needs to be ready before the invitations are. Pick the shower week and count back: the registry goes public 8 weeks before the shower, or 2 weeks before invitations, whichever is earlier. Everything before it can move as slowly as you like, and everything after it is small adjustments.

Frequently asked questions