When I started my first tank, my local fish shop recommended adding two small fish after one week and checking the water parameters every day. That's what I did, and it worked well for me. I didn't experience any ammonia spikes. I also performed regular water changes of approximately 30% every 5-7 days. I guess it all depends on the size of the tank as well.
Edit:
I also heavily planted the tank on the first day so I guess it helped to suck stuff from the water. Probably some beneficial bacteria were transplanted to the substrate from the plants.
