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When you first find out you're pregnant, scheduling your prenatal appointments and dreaming up a creative pregnancy announcment may be near the top of your to-do list — but starting your baby registry should be right up there, too. Building a baby registry helps you take stock of all the products you'll need before your baby arrives, from the big-ticket purchases (stroller, infant car seat, crib) to smaller-dollar essentials (diapers, wipes, clothes). Plus, before you know it, your generous friends and family members will start asking you what you need, and having a registry to point them toward will not only make the gift-giving process easier for them, but more helpful for you. (Aunt Millie might think that a gigantic baby swing is a perfect gift, but it won't do you much good if there's no room for it in your living room!)

So, when should you start your baby registry? When should you share it with others? When is the ideal time to have a baby shower — and when should you be sure you have everything you need on hand, and all ready for your baby-to-be? To be totally honest, the answers to those questions can be different for every family. But there are some basic benchmarks you can follow to set up your own personal baby registry timeline.

By 12 weeks: Start your baby registry

When you start your baby registry is ultimately a matter of personal preference. But many families (my own included) have found that it's most helpful to start earlier than you might expect: During the first trimester. Here's why: Even though your due date might still seem (very!) far away, starting a baby registry and actually finishing one are two different things. (Starting a registry and sharing it are also different things — most registries offer a private mode so you're the only one who sees it until you decide to make it public.) There are lots of important products to consider, and for each one, you'll likely want to take time to research different options and weigh their pros and cons. 

That's especially true when it comes to big-ticket items like strollers, car seats and cribs, to name a few. For me, it took a few weeks to research strollers and find one that seemed like it could handle our bumpy city sidewalks and fold up compactly in our home's tiny entryway. (For those wondering, I ended up going with the Baby Jogger City Mini GT.) 

Keep in mind, too, that you might want ample time to claim any free welcome gifts, since testing out freebies can help you decide whether to add a certain product to your baby registry. Many registries also need to be active for a certain amount of time before you can take advantage of their completion discounts (more on that in a minute).  

All that said, don't stress too much if you feel "behind" on your registry. Just aim to have it finished by the time your baby shower invitations go out, since you'll want to include the registry information there. 

By 28 weeks: Share your baby registry

The standard move is to share information about your registry in your baby shower invitation. Most people opt to send those around four to six weeks before the shower is scheduled to take place.

Most What to Expect Community members, myself included, opt to do it that way. But again, it really comes down to what feels right for you. To some, sharing a registry early on their pregnancy can feel a little tacky. On the other hand, you want people to have enough time to look through the registry and choose their gifts. 

Also important: You'll want to give yourself the opportunity to fully take advantage of any completion discounts that your registry might offer. These are discounts that kick in shortly before your due date so you can snag any remaining registry items at a lower price. If there are items you definitely want to have before baby arrives, you'll want to make those discounted purchases shortly after your shower.  

Remember that your registry doesn't need to be set in stone when you start sharing it. Sure, you'll want to have the bulk of the list complete. But if you change your mind about that changing pad or bath tub, it's fine to swap it out for another one as long as the original wasn't already purchased by someone.

It's also okay to add more items as you discover them. When a friend pointed out that a single pack of newborn onesies might not be enough to keep my little one clothed during those early days, I took her suggestion to add some more outfits to the list. (And I'm so glad that I did.) 

By 36 weeks: Have your baby shower

The baby shower sweet spot tends to be early in the third trimester. That's far enough along that most moms-to-be have completed their registries, but not so late that they've reached the point of total exhaustion and discomfort (or the risk of baby making an early entrance). You'll still have more energy to enjoy the event, take stock of your gifts and get things set up for the baby. 

You'll want to take personal factors into account, of course, to figure out the shower date that works best for you. That might include cultural considerations, or timing around when people who might be coming from far away will be able to attend. If you have your heart set on a specific location, that might need to be taken into account as well. 

Other things can come into play too. For instance, my mom and I opted to host my sister's shower in October even though she wasn't due until February. She was pregnant during the height of COVID, and we wanted to have the event when it was still warm enough for the shower to be held outdoors. Yes, it felt a little early. But we wanted to do it sooner rather than risk people being afraid to come to an indoor event in the winter, or worse, having to cancel it completely. 

If completion discounts are on your radar, you'll want to make sure your shower happens early enough so you buy anything from your registry that wasn't gifted to you before the baby arrives. (But if you don't get around to it, don't worry too much. Most completion discount windows remain open for some time after your due date too.) 

By 38 weeks: Set up your nursery and purchase all remaining necessities 

Make sure all of your must-haves are gathered at least two weeks before your due date (and ideally sooner). That gives you some time to wash all the clothes, sanitize bottles and breast pumps, assemble furniture and decorate the nursery — and it also gives you a buffer in the event that your baby decides to come sooner than expected. 

That doesn't mean you need to have every single thing your baby will need, though. Far from it. Although plenty of sample registry lists try to include most of the gear that'll get you through the first year, you won't need all of those things right away. Your newborn won't have much use for stacking blocks or a high chair when they first come home, for example. 

Registry Builder helped me figure out the items I needed without making me feel overwhelmed. Still, the list of things I actually used during those first few weeks after my son was born wasn't enormous. 

And if you forget about a key item, don't worry. You can always order something and have it delivered ASAP or have your partner, a family member or friend run out to the store. 

Figuring out your baby registry timeline can feel a little bit like putting a puzzle together. It's fine to get started right away if you're excited to do so or hold off if you need a little more time. Just make sure it's mostly complete by the time you share it on your baby shower invitations.