My very excited, "first-time soon to be auntie" sister is throwing me a baby shower in a couple of weeks. She is adamant that I register somewhere.

So after careful online product research and no energy to go into stores and go through the rigmarole I went through with my bridal registry, I decided to only do registry at stores that met my criteria.

1. Must be available in Canada
2. Must be able to register, add and delete items online. (This took out 80% of stores including Pottery Barn and The Bay)
3. People must be able to purchase online.
4. I have to be able to see what was purchased.

I landed up registering at BabiesRus and Baby on the Hip.

Besides providing the above, this is what these two (1 very large and 1 small business) did above and beyond which helped make this process easy for me.

1. Provided a realistic laundry list of items I will need. Baby on the Hip did a great job of even providing a newborn list for newborns vs. 12 months.
2. A lot of items can be sold out in various colours and sizes. Their online system tells you upfront. (Heck, there is nothing more annoying than an e-commerce site not being up-to-date with real inventory)

One last item worth mentioning. Baby on the Hip sent me a Thank You card for registering at their store and offered me a 10% discount off my next in-store purchase. This was not only a great relationship builder but is a great way to drive people into the store.