The right timing is when you can speak without blushing
There isn’t a magical number of dates you need to get through. The ‘appropriate timing’ is when both you and your partner can talk openly about sexually transmitted infections (STIs), contraception, and each other’s expectations without feeling embarrassed or making stuff up. If you can be honest and calm, and still desire each other, then that timing can come at any date—that is, whether it’s the first date or the tenth.