Each week we invite a different blogger to submit a guest post and tell us what’s on their mind, along with selecting their 10 favourite blog posts for our Friday Ten at Ten round-up.
This week our guest editor is Lauren, from the Real Housewife Of Suffolk (you can catch her as @LaureninSuffolk on Twitter). Lauren will be back on Friday with her Ten at Ten, but here are some really fab tips she’s put together on keeping on top of blogging when there’s a new baby in the house (but actually, these are incredibly helpful tips for ANY busy parent. And is there any other kind?);
As readers of my blog will know I gave birth to my second son in July 2011. My blog was still new at that stage, only 6 months old, and I was keen to keep it going and to not suffer due to lack of time.
I had been warned by other bloggers who also had newborn babies and toddler that it would be hard to keep up but I wanted to prove them wrong.
I set up a plan and stuck to it and, as a result, my blog didn’t suffer at all. I “only” managed 19 posts in July, which I still think is quite impressive, but August managed to be my 2nd busiest month in terms of blog posts.
Here’s how I did it.
Plan: Plan blog posts in advance. I always have ideas of posts I’d like to write and I either plan these on a notepad which I keep in the lounge or I write my ideas on my phone. When baby brain kicks in and you don’t know what to blog about you can look back on these ideas and go with them.
Schedule: You can incorporate this with the above. Instead of planning your posts, write them up and then take advantage of the schedule option on your blog. This can all be done whilst still pregnant when you have a bit more time.
Link Ups: I wrote 3 weeks worth of posts to link-up to Flashback Friday and then scheduled them to automatically post the Fridays after my due date. As Harry was a day early this worked out fine for me but if you are over-due you can always change the date. Schedule your reviews for this time too.
Guest Posts: Ask other bloggers if they’d like to help you out by writing guest posts for your blog. I’ve had great response in the past when I’ve asked for guest bloggers. All you need to then do is copy, paste then schedule or copy, paste and post.
Ask: You’d be surprised at how many bloggers are willing to help run your blog whilst you are busy with a new baby. If you need posts linked up then head to Twitter and ask and you will be bombarded with people offering to do it for you.
Advantage: Take advantage of your time. Stuck under a sleeping baby? Grab your phone/laptop and type. Soak in the bath? If you have a tight grip or a bathroom cabinet that is the perfect height, then blog from the bath. I am a regular bath blogger.
Simple: Your blog posts don’t need to be in depth. No one expects a lengthy post about how gorgeous baby is, your birth story etc so soon. Your readers will know you are busy. A simple post thanking everyone for their kind messages with a simple line or bullet points about how you, baby, other siblings [if necessary] are doing will be enough. Or just a photo of the new baby. We are all suckers for a photo of a newborn baby after all.
About Sally
Sally Whittle is founder of the Tots100, Foodies100, BlogSummit and the MAD Blog Awards. When she's not working, she can be found blogging at Who's the Mummy, or having fun with her 7 year old daughter, Flea.
What good advice .. x
I’m still doing the stuck under a sleeping baby one and my youngest is 18 months old. And he’s not sleeping. He just likes cuddles
Great advice. I love the blog in the bath one but don’t trust myself not to submerge my phone
Brilliant post Lauren really helpful . You did Well to keep blogging after Harry was born xx
Great advice and well done on keeping up with blogging with a new baby.
This has been so helfpul for me as a new blogger. I have been totally bogged down and boggled this week trying to work it all out without putting my whole life on hold! So much so that I wrote a blog post about my findings!