Top Posts on ElisabethMcknight in 2018

I saw this fun idea for a post on Janssen’s blog and had to go look at my analytics to see what the top posts were on ElisabethMcknight.com this year.

I really enjoy creating content for this space that started back in 2011! In 2018 we continued parenting, beauty, and fashion content as well as regular family updates about life in Boston. We shared some interior design content with the nursery reveal and more travel content when we headed to Guadeloupe, Greece, Paris, and London.

Generally, my favorite posts to re-read are family updates but my favorite images come from projects that force me to get out and capture pictures of my two kids.

But, without further ado, here are the top 12 posts from 2018:

• Household items to stock up on before baby arrives: This post has been my most popular since it took off on Pinterest right before Adelaide was born. It’s still chugging along and recommends some favorite products to make sure to have on hand before baby arrives.
• How to encourage sibling relationships: This post I wrote in January of 2018 after finishing a few books on siblings and it talks through lots of strategies to help your children get along and appreciate each other.
• 9-12 months sample baby feeding schedule: This post I wrote back when Adelaide was a baby and the useful printable chart makes it a helpful one for moms with babies.
• DIY Smore’s Pot: Every year this is a top post, spiking in the summer. These smores pots are so easy and fun!
• Why your toddler says “NO” and how to respond: This was another result of reading all the things when struggling with a new parenting phase with Lincoln. If you have toddlers at home, READ this one.
• Toddler approved smoothie recipe: I should make these more often.
• $14 engineering prints (frame included): This step-by-step for ordering your own engineering prints (the prints themselves are like $3 and poster sized) is a favorite on google and pinterest. I used it again when we ordered new engineering prints for our bedroom in the fall and they make me so happy every day. If you need inexpensive large-scale art, check out this post.
• Is Shein legit? Shopping review and tips: Have you heard of Shein.com for clothes before? This honest + unsponsored review of my experiences shopping on Shein and how to find great things on there (it can be hit or miss) is a new favorite this year. I published it over the summer and on some days it is the most visited post on my site.
• How to get the most out of your hospital stay: These pictures are making me wish I could have another baby pronto but this post, written in partnership with one of my favorite baby brands, is all about maximizing your hospital experience and I WISH I’d read something like it before giving birth to Lincoln.
• 7 questions to ask your toddler each night: If you’re looking for a way to connect with your toddler and help build emotional intelligence + resilience, read this post.
• How to strengthen your marriage after kids: This post is from 2017 and I don’t think it is quite as useful as a more recent summary I wrote about all the takeaways from “How Not to Hate Your Husband After Kids” 

And then these were the posts that were the most fun for me to create in 2018! Here’s what I loved:

• Tips for leaving kids with Grandma: The top picture on this post is my favorite picture of my kids, ever. I also love getting to leave my kids with Grandma.
• Micro Mini Scooters- The best money we’ve spent on toys: This post has runner-up favorite pictures of my kids together this year and it talks all about the best money we’ve spent on toys in 2018 in our full unsponsored review of Micro Mini Scooters.
• My Job as a mom: I spent less time just sitting down and writing what I was feeling and thinking about this year but this post was one that had been on my mind since Lincoln was young. It isn’t long, but I’m grateful I took the time to document what I feel is my #1 job as a mom.
• Toddlers right now: These are just a few cute snippets of conversation with the kids over the year and some darling pictures of the two of them on campus.
• How to transition your kids to a shared room// our room-sharing journey: This was my most requested post of 2017 and I finally put it all together in 2018. It has tips for transitioning kids to a shared room and a day-by-day breakdown of how our transition went.
• How to get your kids to smile for pictures: Osh Kosh has been one of my favorite brands to partner with over the years and I loved shooting and editing the pictures for this post! I also use these tips all the time to get my kids to smile for the camera.
• DIY Personalized Love Books: I made these Love Books for the kids for Valentines this year and love love love how they turned out. They take the books to Grandma’s when we have traveled without them and we also flip through them regularly to remember all the different people that love them. I love this way to keep family who is far away, close.
• Surprises about Harvard Business School, Semester 1: The pictures in this post were supposed to be our Christmas card that never got sent last year so I love those, and remembering some of these insights from our first semester on campus. I’ve been meaning to write a followup and share HOW DIFFERENT second year is from first year. I can’t believe Ben will be done in May!