baby daze was the truly the product of a “necessity is the mother of invention” moment. A new mom who also happened to be a professional organizer was certain that there had to be an easier way to manage all the new information that came along with her new baby.
Currently in its 3rd edition, baby daze has helped thousands of parents across the country find a measure of sanity during the chaotic period with a new baby.
baby daze is published by The Research Department, Inc.
Leland Brandt, co-author of baby daze is a stay-at-home father and the founder of NYDads (www.nydads.com), a support group for other stay-at-home fathers.
The arrival of Leland’s daughter Sofie in 2001 gave birth to another labor of love — baby daze®: An organizer for tracking your baby’s first few months. Co-authored by Leland and his wife Lynne Tapper, baby daze is the perfect tool for expecting parents. Based on their experience as new parents, Lynne and Leland designed an easy-to-use logbook to keep track of all the details that crop up during the first few months with a new baby. They have now updated the book to release the 3rd edition of baby daze: An organizer for tracking your baby’s first few months.
Prior to Sofie’s birth, after much deliberation, they decided that he would stay home full-time to raise their baby. This non-traditional decision had its roots in Leland’s encounter as a college student with a stay-at-home father. The joy and fulfillment that this father of two radiated, inspired Leland and planted an idea in the back of his mind that waited until the birth of his own child to bloom.
The process was challenging on many levels, from being the only daddy in the “mommies” groups or classes, to the comments of “are you babysitting today?” from the checkout ladies at the supermarket. He spent days finding ways to productively fill the days, from learning the words to children’s songs to teaching Sofie basic sign language, to setting up play dates and wrestling with balky Diaper Genies.
To address a need for some male companionship during the weekdays, Leland formed NYDads, a support group for other stay-at-home dads in the New York City area. He had found that many stay-at-home fathers were reluctant to attend classes for fear of being the only dad in attendance. Formed in August of 2001, the group met weekly in Central Park, The Museum of Natural History, or someone’s apartment to socialize, trade parenting tips and compare stroller features.
Leland, Lynne, Sofie and Elias now reside in West Hartford, CT. Leland is also the president of The Research Department, Inc., a company that offers customized research solutions for individuals and businesses. The Research Department is the publisher of baby daze.
Lynne Tapper is a professional organizer in the greater Hartford area. Her childhood love affair with orderliness, when Lynne labeled everything in her room with her Dymo label maker, has evolved into her business, Seize the Daze.
As Lynne’s children have grown, she has turned her organizing passion towards working with clients to make order out of their photo collections. She is a member of APPO, Association of Personal Photo Organizers and continues to learn and contribute to this growing industry. A 10-year organizing specialist, Lynne has worked as a consultant for Cross It Off Your List, a New York City-based business that helps individuals and businesses organize various aspects of their personal and work lives.
Lynne’s professional insights provided the structure for baby daze, creating a system to help parents feel more at ease with a newborn.
Another passion in Lynne’s life is fitness. She has run marathons since 1990 and has participated in triathlons since 1995. She applies organizational principles and techniques to help both adults and kids find time in their schedule to exercise. Each spring since 2005, Lynne coaches a training group for women and men in the greater Hartford area to prepare them for their first sprint-distance triathlon. Since 2010, she and her fellow coaches put on a triathlon camp for kids ages 6-13. Click on Team Training New England to learn more.
Previously, Lynne has worked in the television and Internet divisions of ESPN, ABC and Oxygen’s sports departments.
“The book was also great for Isabela’s dad because he never had to ask me, “when did she last eat?” “How was the feeding?” “When did she last poop?”, etc. He could just glance at the book. I now give baby daze to everyone at their baby shower.”