We couldn’t head into a New Year without a baby. Fortunately, the winner of our Natural Housewife Contest – one of our Top 10 traffic generators for 2011 – now has one.

1.  Sara Eickhoff reports that son, Hayden, now two months old, enjoys the sisal-look wool, chemical-free Nature’s Carpet his Mom won by submitting some of the best tips for keeping a natural and healthy home that we received.

“ We converted the large piece into smaller area rugs, which we use throughout the house, including one that Hayden uses daily for tummy time,” Eickhoff says. “It’s so nice to know he’s getting the comfy support he needs for this activity, while at the same time avoiding unnecessary chemical exposure.”

2. Nature’s Carpet, low-VOC synthetic carpet, The Natural Carpet Pioneer and chemical emissions from carpet also were among the top-sought topics on our site this year. Trailing behind indoor-air quality, our visitors’ picks also said carpet recycling is also important.

3. The most visits to www.naturalinteriors.com, however, were in search of information about nontoxic paint. We attribute this extreme need to investigate to the fact that manufacturers don’t have to list their ingredients on the label, and even low-VOC products can contain chemicals that trigger adverse health reactions.

4. Information on cork flooring was in high demand, too. Some of the questions: Is solid or engineered better? What are the differences in the major brands? How do you know if the product emits chemicals into your indoor air? And what finish is best to accommodate the natural movement of cork flooring?

5. Next in line for flooring choices were engineered hardwood, including those with natural oil finishes, and reclaimed hardwood flooring. We also learned that a trend away from solid wood toward engineered flooring has hit the Midwest early.

6. Differentiating between FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) and SFI (Sustainable Forestry Initiative) was also important to those of you considering hardwood. But you put indoor-air quality before sustainable harvesting by spending more time reading about the differences between GREENGUARD and FloorScore indoor air quality certifications.

7. Formaldehyde emissions from bamboo flooring was one of the top searches bringing visitors to the site. We also learned that demand for strand and stained bamboo flooring remains strong, while interest in traditional bamboo has fizzled.

8. Style and design ruled throughout. Our visitors could not get enough of items in Customer Gallery and designer features. This carried over to wall design, particularly when it came to leather and American Clay.

9. Energy efficiency is near the top, too, with clicks on Winter Warm-Ups and Do Go Into These Lights still going strong.

10. Attitude — or the ability to make natural, planet-friendly choices despite what your neighbors say about you – also seemed important to our visitors. Though the video views don’t reflect it, the keyword searches do. So, we’ll conclude our Top 10 list by saying that Housewives: The Natural and the Desperate may merit review after you celebrate the holidays, settle into winter and begin anticipating spring.©

Have a Wonderful Holiday Season and look for Part II of our Natural Pioneer Series as the New Year approaches next week!

– Nancy Kibbee is editor at www.naturalinteriors.com.