When to Create a Baby Registry: A Timeline by Due Date
Amazon's and Babylist's 15% completion discounts both open 60 days before your arrival date, per their help pages, but Amazon needs the registry active for 14 days first and Babylist for 30. A registry created by about 90 days before your due date meets both age rules on the day the discounts open. Welcome boxes have their own item and spending requirements on each retailer's terms page.
By the Cribpicks team · Published October 29, 2026 · 6 min read
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Key facts
- Amazon's and Babylist's completion discounts open 60 days before the arrival date and close 90 days after it, per each help page (checked October 25, 2026).
- Babylist caps its discount at $600 per registry; Amazon at $300.
- We track 10 registry welcome boxes and discounts, plus 8 Babylist sampler boxes.
Product numbers come from each maker's published specs, from our data as last updated November 2, 2026.
The discounts below count from the arrival or event date on your registry, and some need the registry to be a set number of days old first.
Here are the discounts and welcome boxes side by side, from each retailer’s own terms, plus a calculator that turns your due date into dates.
Registry perk date calculator
Enter your due date. We work out when each discount and welcome box window opens and closes, and the latest day to create each registry so it’s old enough.
Dates follow each program's published terms as of October 25, 2026. Programs change; confirm in your account before you plan a big purchase.
The 15% completion discounts
Each completion discount below opens on a set day before the arrival or event date, per the retailer’s terms, and Amazon and Babylist also set a minimum registry age.
| Amazon15% off | Babylist15% off | Pottery Barn Kids15% off | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Opens | 60 days before arrival | 60 days before arrival | 60 days before event date |
| Closes | 90 days after arrival | 90 days after arrival | 180 days after event date |
| Days usable | 150 days | 150 days | 240 days |
| Registry must be | 14+ days old | 30+ days old | No age stated |
| Cap | $300 off (15% of up to $2,000) | $600 off (15% of up to $4,000) | No cap stated |
| Fine print | Primary registrant only; up to 50 items per checkout; not combinable with offers such as Lightning Deals. | Babylist Shop items only; registry owner and partner can use it; some brands excluded. | Baby gear, MSRP items and some clearance items excluded; activate "Redeem" before each online checkout. |
| Terms | Retailer’s page | Retailer’s page | Retailer’s page |
One Babylist page mentions using the discount "up to 6 months after" arrival, while its terms and help article say 90 days. We use 90 days here. Check the expiry shown in your account. Target runs its own offer; see the Target completion coupon page for its current terms.
Welcome boxes
Each retailer sets its own welcome box rules on its terms page.
| Babylist Hello Baby Box | Amazon Baby Registry Welcome Box | Walmart Welcome Box | |
|---|---|---|---|
| What you need to do | Add 3 items from other stores, complete 40% of the registry checklist, and make a $30+ Babylist Shop purchase. | Active Prime membership, add 10 unique items from the Baby Registry Checklist, and have over $10 of purchases from the registry (by you or others). | Registry with at least 20 items, kept for at least 7 days, and at least $25 spent on items bought from the registry. |
| Fee | $8.95 shipping plus tax; Babylist lists an extra surcharge for Alaska and Hawaii | No price listed on the help page | No fee listed in the terms |
| Timing | Arrival date less than nine months away, or baby arrived less than four weeks ago | No window stated; limited time, while supplies last | No window stated; while supplies last |
| Limit | One per household and one per registry | Not eligible for another box for 8 months after claiming; ships within the contiguous US only | One box per person or address per 365 days |
| Terms | Retailer’s page | Retailer’s page | Retailer’s page |
Target has one too: the Target Baby Registry Welcome Kit. Baby Registry Welcome Kits are only available online as a Target Circle Bonus.
Your registry timeline in one table
| When | What to do | Why |
|---|---|---|
| About 20 to 16 weeks before | Pick your registry site and add the big items. | Starts the clock on the registry age rules. |
| By about 13 weeks before | Have the registry created and public. | Babylist needs 30 days and Amazon 14 days before the discount works. Created by then, both are ready at the 60-day mark. |
| 12 to 10 weeks before | Finish adding items and work toward the welcome box item counts. | Item-count rules (10, 20 or 40% of a checklist) are listed in the terms above. |
| 10 to 6 weeks before | Claim welcome boxes once the purchase requirement is met. | The terms above count purchases from the registry, by you or others, toward the spending rules. |
| 60 days (about 8.5 weeks) before | Amazon and Babylist discounts open. | The 15% applies to eligible items, per each program’s terms. |
| After the birth | Use what’s left of the discount window. | Amazon and Babylist run 90 days past arrival; Pottery Barn Kids 180 days past your event date. |
A planning sequence built from the terms above, not a retailer rule.
Fine print worth a second look
- The arrival date you enter. Every window above counts from it.
- Stacking. Amazon’s page says its discount can’t be combined with offers such as Lightning Deals.
- Exclusions. Babylist and Pottery Barn Kids both list items or brands that don’t qualify.
- Supply. Amazon’s and Walmart’s boxes are offered while supplies last.
Small gifts guests can pick from a registry, lowest list price first: Lalo Starting Solids Feeding Set ($29.99), Mustela Welcome Baby Gift Set ($33), Nanobébé Flexy Silicone Bottle Gift Set ($34.99), Ubbi Bath Toy Gift Set ($39.99). List prices we track; they change.
Babylist also sells sampler boxes: Babylist Bottle Box, Babylist Pacifier Box, Babylist Swaddle Box, Babylist Diaper Box, Babylist Teether Box, Babylist Diaper Cream Box, Babylist Sippy Cup Box, Babylist Book Bundles.
Registry checklist
- Due date entered correctly on every registry
- Registry created about 13 weeks before the due date
- Welcome box requirements read on each retailer’s page
- Discount open dates on your calendar
- Exclusions checked for the items you plan to buy
- Privacy terms read for each box
See all registry perks we track, or browse baby gifts and types of baby gifts.
Questions parents ask
Answers come from makers' published specs and official sources linked below.
When should I start my baby registry?
That's your call. For timing, Amazon's and Babylist's 15% discounts open 60 days before arrival, and their help pages say the registry must be 14 or 30 days old first, so a registry created about 90 days before your due date meets both on day one.
When does the Amazon registry completion discount start?
Amazon's help page says it begins 60 days before the arrival date on your registry and runs until 90 days after it, for registries active at least 14 days.
How much can you save with the Babylist completion discount?
Babylist says 15% on eligible Babylist Shop purchases, up to $4,000 in purchases, for a maximum of $600 per registry.
How do I get the Babylist Hello Baby Box?
Per Babylist's help page: add three items from other stores, complete 40% of your checklist, make a $30 or more Babylist Shop purchase, and pay $8.95 shipping. Your arrival date must be under nine months away, or your baby under four weeks old.
Do I need Prime for the Amazon welcome box?
Yes. Amazon's help page says the box is for customers with active Prime accounts who add 10 checklist items and have over $10 of registry purchases.
Can guests use my completion discount?
Not at Amazon or Babylist, per their help pages: Amazon limits it to the primary registrant, and Babylist to the registry owner and partner. Check each other store's terms.
Can I have registries at more than one store?
Each store runs its own perks with its own terms, and Babylist's Hello Baby Box asks you to add items from other stores to your Babylist registry.
Still wondering? Write to us at hello@cribpicks.com and we'll look it up.
Sources
- Amazon Help: Baby Registry Completion Discount (checked October 25, 2026)
- Amazon Help: Baby Registry Welcome Box (checked October 25, 2026)
- Babylist Help: How do I use my Babylist registry discount? (checked October 25, 2026)
- Babylist Registry Discount terms (checked October 25, 2026)
- Babylist Help: How do I get a Hello Baby Box? (checked October 25, 2026)
- Walmart: Baby Registry Welcome Box Offer Terms of Use (checked October 25, 2026)
- Pottery Barn Kids: Registry Completion Discount (checked October 25, 2026)
- Target Help: baby registry 15% offer
- Target Help: Baby Registry Welcome Kit
Policies and specs change. We list the date we last checked each one; confirm with the airline or maker before you travel or buy. Read our editorial policy.