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Many people set up one or two online registries and spread the word, but this can be limiting. When you use a universal gift site, you're creating one massive wish list that puts everything together — even cash gifts and items from stores without websites. You might love the fancy crib sheets at one spot, but can't resist the affordable bulk diapers from Costco. Maybe your partner wants a high-tech video monitor, but you'd be excited to get some cash towards several weeks of baby swim lessons. You could even add several different gift cards or airplane tickets. 

With a universal registry, you can pick and choose from everywhere — you're only limited by what you can dream up. If this sounds like the registry for you, allow us to introduce you to MyRegistry.com. Here’s how it works, and whether or not you should try it yourself.

The benefits of a MyRegistry.com baby registry

Add any item sold online: Using a Chrome browser extension or a bookmarks button, you can add any item from the Internet — whether it's a massage at your local spa, airplane tickets, a stroller or a giant case of formula from Amazon.

Link to other registries: MyRegistry has specific partners that offer their own perks such as Pottery Barn Baby, Target, Crate & Kids and Buy Buy Baby. (Perks might include goody bags or completion discounts.) You also can sync these stores to your account to show that registry's progress in real time. Other "sync partners" (there are more than 20) include Anthropologie, Macy's, Nordstrom, West Elm, Williams Sonoma, Bed Bath & Beyond and Sur La Table. And even if MyRegistry doesn't support syncing for a store, you can manually add your registry link.

No website, no problem: If you're shopping at a store that doesn't sell their wares online, you can use the MyRegistry app to scan the item's barcode, snap a photo, upload it and add a note about the gift.

Ask (tastefully!) for cash: You can also set up cash gift funds for any big-ticket request: Each one gets its own page and you can customize it with a photo and a note. Popular items, like babysitting and cord-blood banking, are already listed as options, but you can also choose your own.

Charitable giving is easy: If you're hoping to ask for donations to your favorite non-profit, there are several ways to do so, including linking to them as a registry item or setting up a cash gift fund earmarked for the organization.

Check stuff off: Just like when you register in person, MyRegistry has a helpful baby essentials checklist that you can get to from the dashboard and mark up electronically.

Use the handy app: Besides acting as your pocket barcode scanner, MyRegistry's well-designed app (available for iOS and Android) can be used to track thank you notes, upload photos of gifts you like, monitor purchases with push notifications and more.

Share your wishes: You can let friends and family members know about your MyRegistry account by using a custom URL, printable announcement or an embed code that can go on your personal website. There is also a direct link if you want to post to social media or send an email.

How to create a MyRegistry.com baby registry

Setting up a MyRegistry account takes just a few minutes. Start on the MyRegistry home page and sign up with Facebook, Google or with an email address. Entering your baby's due date is optional, as is entering your partner's information. And if your baby has already been born, you can add your little one’s birthday.

Once you create your account, you'll be taken to a quick tutorial about how to add either the Chrome extension or the bookmarks button to your browser. This is important because it's how you get gifts from other retailers onto your registry. Confused? The live chat link and phone number for 24/7 customer service also pop up, if you need additional assistance.

Before you start adding gifts, you'll also want to go to the “Settings” tab. Here you can unsubscribe from any emails you don't want cluttering up your inbox, and also sign up for email or text notifications when gifts are purchased. You can also update your shipping address if needed. And if you want to link your PayPal account so you can receive cash gifts, go to "Cash Settings."

Plus, check out "Visitor setup" and "Customize visitor view," both of which are under the “Settings” tab. Under “Visitor setup,” you can choose the order in which gifts appear (such as listing favorites first or sorting them by price), turn the Guestbook on or off and set an optional visitor password for an extra layer of privacy. 

A cool feature is the "Help visitors find the best prices" button, which you can turn on or off. When it's turned on, it allows MyRegistry to replace exact matches for gifts from "trusted retailers" who are offering the same thing at a lower price. Customizing your visitors’ view simply means customizing your background photo, main photo and welcome message. (There are defaults in place already.)

Using your MyRegistry.com baby registry

With setup out of the way, it's time for the real fun: adding gifts! Once you have either the bookmarks button or the browser extension installed, head to your dashboard. You'll see a list of options such as adding items from online stores, syncing an existing registry, adding directly from one a brand partner (such as Graco, Stokke or Naturepedic) or exploring a baby-themed inspiration board.

When you find a product online that you’d like to add to your gift list, click either the browser extension button or the bookmarks button. You'll get a pop-up panel, which asks you to confirm that you want to add the item. From there, you'll be able to edit things like color and quantity and add any relevant notes. You can also add items from your local stores when you're out and about, using your phone and the app to scan and photograph items.

To sync one of your existing registries, go to your dashboard and choose "Sync store registry." Select your store and follow the steps. If the store isn't one of the sync partners, there's an option to manually paste in your registry URL.

To share your MyRegistry page with family and friends, go to the "Things to do" tab and select "Share registry." This will bring up a window that has your personal URL as well as options to share on social media, send baby shower save-the-dates, send e-cards with registry details (or delegate a friend to do it) or print cute paper announcements using their templates. 

If you want to make your registry searchable, go to “Settings.” The default setting is that your registry is private. You will have the choice to make your list public on just MyRegistry, on the Google search engine or in both places. 

How to return registry gifts

If you need to return gifts, note that you will have to do so through the individual retailers, following their specific policies. 

Pros

  • One convenient place for friends and family members to view your wish lists
  • Registries can be linked or synced in real time (depending on the store)
  • No limits on what you can add, including cash gifts and charitable requests
  • Helpful app and checklist keep you organized

Cons

  • Transaction fees on cash gifts 
  • Returns must be handled by individual stores
  • Some people might feel overwhelmed with so many options

Our review

MyRegistry is incredibly convenient, comprehensive and fun. Being able to add such a wide range of gifts means you can really tailor your list to have items in every style and price range. Your gift givers might appreciate this, too — the friend you always eat out with might love the idea of getting you a restaurant gift certificate, whereas your parents might want to splurge on the crib or stroller. You can also request cash gifts, gift cards or charitable donations, and keep track of everything in one place, which makes thank you note writing easier. 

Keep in mind that it wouldn't make sense to have MyRegistry as your only gift registry, since it's designed to help you manage all of your existing wish lists by having them sync in real time. And when you register at individual stores like Target, Buy Buy Baby or Pottery Barn Kids, you're also entitled to their perks, such as completion discounts and new parent gifts.

There are a few potential downsides to MyRegistry. When a friend buys a gift, they're taken away from MyRegistry to the store's website to complete their transaction. A pop-up window appears to remind them to return to MyRegistry to mark the gift as "purchased," but it's possible they could forget. (Registrants do have the option to mark gifts as purchased from their end.) 

For cash gifts, both the giver and the recipient will be hit with surcharges when giving through MyRegistry: PayPal deducts a 2.5 percent charge for each transaction, and MyRegistry charges the givers fees, starting at $3.95 for up to $100 and going up incrementally, with a cap of $6.95. This is common on similar sites, but might surprise some people at first.

But despite these minor flaws, we'd still recommend MyRegistry. The interface is easy to use, and the browser tools for adding gifts work seamlessly. It's fun to set up the visitor view with a sweet welcome note and your favorite photos, and you can sort your gift list to display in several different ways. With all of your registries and other gifts in one spot, you won't be jumping from site to site as frequently, so you'll be able to save yourself considerable time and energy. And what parent-to-be couldn't use more of both?