diff --git a/src/relative-time-element.ts b/src/relative-time-element.ts
index 4ed38b14..8f7d4691 100644
--- a/src/relative-time-element.ts
+++ b/src/relative-time-element.ts
@@ -144,6 +144,24 @@ const dateObserver = new (class {
   }
 })()
 
+// Batch the initial render of newly-connected elements into a single microtask
+// flush. When N elements are inserted together, this avoids N synchronous
+// formatting passes on the insertion critical path.
+const pendingElements: Set<RelativeTimeElement> = new Set()
+let pendingFlush = false
+
+async function flushPending(): Promise<void> {
+  await Promise.resolve()
+  // Snapshot and clear before iterating so that any connections or disconnections
+  // triggered by update() calls do not interfere with the current batch.
+  const elements = [...pendingElements]
+  pendingElements.clear()
+  pendingFlush = false
+  for (const el of elements) {
+    el.update()
+  }
+}
+
 export class RelativeTimeElement extends HTMLElement implements Intl.DateTimeFormatOptions {
   static define(tag = 'relative-time', registry = customElements) {
     registry.define(tag, this)
@@ -641,11 +659,23 @@ export class RelativeTimeElement extends HTMLElement implements Intl.DateTimeFor
   }
 
   connectedCallback(): void {
-    this.update()
+    // Coalesce the initial render into a single microtask-flushed batch.
+    // If attributeChangedCallback already scheduled a microtask for this
+    // element (e.g. an attribute was set before connection), skip enqueuing
+    // here — that in-flight microtask will perform the first render.
+    if (this.#updating) return
+    pendingElements.add(this)
+    if (!pendingFlush) {
+      pendingFlush = true
+      flushPending()
+    }
   }
 
   disconnectedCallback(): void {
     dateObserver.unobserve(this)
+    // If the element is disconnected before the microtask flush runs, remove
+    // it from the pending set so update() is never called on a detached node.
+    pendingElements.delete(this)
   }
 
   // Internal: Refresh the time element's formatted date when an attribute changes.
@@ -657,6 +687,12 @@ export class RelativeTimeElement extends HTMLElement implements Intl.DateTimeFor
         (this.date && this.#getFormattedTitle(this.date, this.#lang, this.timeZone, this.hourCycle)) !== newValue
     }
     if (!this.#updating && !(attrName === 'title' && this.#customTitle)) {
+      if (pendingElements.has(this)) {
+        // This element is already queued in the batch flush. The flush will
+        // call update() with the latest attribute state, so no separate
+        // microtask is needed.
+        return
+      }
       this.#updating = (async () => {
         await Promise.resolve()
         this.update()
diff --git a/test/relative-time.js b/test/relative-time.js
index 307ba594..654db8da 100644
--- a/test/relative-time.js
+++ b/test/relative-time.js
@@ -3262,4 +3262,72 @@ suite('relative-time', function () {
       document.documentElement.removeAttribute('time-zone')
     })
   })
+
+  suite('connectedCallback microtask batching', function () {
+    let fixture2
+    suiteSetup(() => {
+      fixture2 = document.createElement('div')
+      document.body.appendChild(fixture2)
+    })
+    suiteTeardown(() => {
+      document.body.removeChild(fixture2)
+    })
+    teardown(() => {
+      fixture2.innerHTML = ''
+    })
+
+    test('renders text and title after a single microtask when connected', async () => {
+      const el = document.createElement('relative-time')
+      el.setAttribute('datetime', new Date(Date.now() - 3 * 60 * 1000).toISOString())
+      fixture2.appendChild(el)
+      assert.equal(el.shadowRoot.textContent, '', 'should not have rendered synchronously')
+      await Promise.resolve()
+      assert.ok(el.shadowRoot.textContent.length > 0, 'should have rendered text after microtask')
+      assert.ok(el.getAttribute('title'), 'should have a title attribute after microtask')
+    })
+
+    test('renders all elements after a single microtask when multiple are inserted', async () => {
+      const count = 5
+      const elements = Array.from({length: count}, () => {
+        const el = document.createElement('relative-time')
+        el.setAttribute('datetime', new Date(Date.now() - 60 * 1000).toISOString())
+        fixture2.appendChild(el)
+        return el
+      })
+      // All should be unrendered synchronously
+      for (const el of elements) {
+        assert.equal(el.shadowRoot.textContent, '', 'should not have rendered synchronously')
+      }
+      await Promise.resolve()
+      for (const el of elements) {
+        assert.ok(el.shadowRoot.textContent.length > 0, 'should have rendered after microtask')
+      }
+    })
+
+    test('does not update an element that is disconnected before the microtask flush', async () => {
+      const el = document.createElement('relative-time')
+      // Connect the element first (no attributes yet, so connectedCallback enqueues
+      // the element in the batch and no attributeChangedCallback microtask is
+      // scheduled yet).
+      fixture2.appendChild(el)
+      // Set datetime AFTER connecting so attributeChangedCallback defers to the
+      // pending batch rather than scheduling a separate microtask.
+      el.setAttribute('datetime', new Date(Date.now() - 60 * 1000).toISOString())
+      // Disconnect before the batch microtask fires.
+      fixture2.removeChild(el)
+      await Promise.resolve()
+      assert.equal(el.shadowRoot.textContent, '', 'disconnected element must not have been updated')
+      assert.equal(el.getAttribute('title'), null, 'disconnected element must not have a title')
+    })
+
+    test('attribute change after connection is picked up by the batch flush', async () => {
+      const el = document.createElement('relative-time')
+      fixture2.appendChild(el)
+      // Set datetime AFTER connecting — attributeChangedCallback should defer
+      // to the pending batch flush rather than scheduling a separate microtask.
+      el.setAttribute('datetime', new Date(Date.now() - 2 * 60 * 1000).toISOString())
+      await Promise.resolve()
+      assert.ok(el.shadowRoot.textContent.length > 0, 'should have rendered with the latest datetime')
+    })
+  })
 })