Baby next door crying non-stop!

lulu_92

notanewuser wrote: »

My in laws renovated their house, and so replaced floorboards etc with soundproofing ones and doors with solid wood ones. The result is that unless you're standing on the stairs you can hear nothing from the bedrooms.

It's not beyond the realms of possibility.

I suppose you're right.

Reams

Is it possible I'm wondering that as the baby stops crying at 11 pm that's when the parents go to bed? Maybe only then the baby gets the attention it deserves.
I agree with emmy lou that to say anything could backfire on you. Besides she already has numerous callers so she isn't isolated. Very different if she was a single mum who perhaps had just moved away from friends and family to live next door.


Most babies go through a crying or fretful stage and the best solution I found was a sling so the baby was always close and I could get on with chores. If the crying comes from one room, I would be concerned for the child.
I can't think of any solution, hope it subsides soon for your own sanity lulu.

Tiddlywinks

Cor, I'm surprised by the reactions to the OP - she hasn't done anything wrong.

All she has asked for are suggestions as her neighbours' baby cries all the time and she can hear it to the point that it is affecting her life.

Yes, babies cry. No, they don't have an off switch. BUT that doesn't mean that the crying is a joy to listen to and that neighours should just suck it up!

The neighbours should do something to try to minimise the impact on other people. They are the selfish ones for knowing that they are making a racket and not doing anything about it.

They could take the baby out, move it to another room, insulate the walls or move furniture against the party wall to absorb some of the sound. They could also apologise.

OP - you have nothing to be sorry about. Noone should have to live with constant screaming.

lulu_92

Tiddlywinks wrote: »

Cor, I'm surprised by the reactions to the OP - she hasnt done anything wrong.


All she has ask for are suggestions as her neighbours baby cries all the time and she can hear it to the point that it is affecting her life.


Yes, babies cry. No, they don't have an off switch. BUT that doesn't mean that the crying is a joy to listen to and that neighours should just suck it up!


The neighbours should do something to try to minimise the impact on other people. They are the selfish ones for knowing that they are making a racket and not doing anything about it.


They could take the baby out, move it to another room, insulate the walls or move furniture against the party wall to absorb some of the sound. They could also apologise.


OP - you have nothing to be sorry about. Noone should have to live with constant screaming.

I could hug you and everyone else who understands

PartTimeMe

lulu_92 wrote: »

@notanewuser they must be able to. Their house is the same layout as ours, built exactly the same. If I can say hello to my friend downstairs when I'm in my bedroom without raising my voice then I'm pretty sure they can hear it.

They may hear, but may be choosing or have been advised to let the baby cry for ' while' rather than attending to it immediately. I was, in fact a pediatrician told me it was good exercise for his lungs and not our problem if it disturbed the neighbors. Advice that I neither agreed with or followed.

I agree that the noise of a distressed baby is like no other, and I would have given anything to make it stop. It is a difficult situation as it is obviously annoying for you, but I'm guessing that there's not much more that they can do either. Mine wouldn't have a dummy, or a bottle, had no toy or blanket that he was attached to. He wouldn't sleep in the pram, I was so tired I didn't feel safe to drive so couldn't take him out in the car. We had him in our room, which joins onto the neighbors bathroom. When he went in his own room we had him on the outside of the house so there's a whole room between him and our attached neighbours. If they are at all reasonable, I assume they would have taken similar steps already.

If you really feel that you need to approach them, could you start the conversation in a roundabout way. "I hope I've not been disturbing you with the hoover, only I'm only able to do it when I get in from work (this is acknowledging how much sound travels between your properties, without offering not to hoover at whatever time). How are things going, it sounds like they are keeping you busy? (big smile)."

Also, before you speak to them, have in mind what you want the outcome to be? Babies cry, some more than others and can't tell the time, you know that. What do you want /need to change? What would you like them to do (beyond the obvious pick it up etc)?

Right, time to dry my eyes, slap a smile on and go and wake my now toddler for an afternoon of craziness (seriously, toddlers are completely nuts) but I will check back later.

dandelionclock30

I'd just get my own property soundprofed along the ajoining wall. You can get the panels online and then fix them yourselves.
At the end of the day the parents cant really do much and they will probably be hostile or funny. So get it done and then even if they have a rave it wont effect you.

meer53

OP, you have 2 options :

1 Go round and speak to them about it
2 Accept it, it won't be forever.

My daughter had colic, some nights she would cry for 4 or 5 hours until it settled. I would rather my neighbours have come round if it was disturbing them, rather than it cause resentment between us. However, if you don't get on with them anyway, i think option 2 is the only one for you.

lulu_92

meer53 wrote: »

OP, you have 2 options :

1 Go round and speak to them about it
2 Accept it, it won't be forever.

My daughter had colic, some nights she would cry for 4 or 5 hours until it settled. I would rather my neighbours have come round if it was disturbing them, rather than it cause resentment between us. However, if you don't get on with them anyway, i think option 2 is the only one for you.

This raises an interesting point. Many other posters have told me to go round. I'm intrigued to know how everyone else would react to a disgruntled neighbour.

My MIL and my own mum agree that the crying shouldn't be this constant at 6 months. I know you can't generalise with babies, although I do have to give MIL credit as she has three kids, all of which were in hospital when they were babies for everything including croup (OH nearly died) and heart problems etc.

I suppose I get more frustrated that the only relief from it is when I am asleep or at work, which isn't really fair. Why should I change my lifestyle and not be in the house because of a child that a) isn't mine and b) doesn't live with me?

The older child doesn't help things, like I've said. I guess my next concern is the baby growing up and acting in a similar way, as I've seen his behaviour. (happened with my three cousins. the younger two were good as gold and the eldest was a nightmare. Now all three are nightmares)

kelpie35

do you have a phobia about babies and children?

lulu_92

kelpie35 wrote: »

do you have a phobia about babies and children?

No. OH and I are TTC from next month. Not sure of how much of the thread you've read but I did write at some point that I absolutely adore children. I only had one cousin until I was 10 then everyone started having babies so now I have 7 cousins under 12 with very little age gap between each other and grew to be very close to the majority of them because of being around them when they were babies. I'm more of an auntie than a cousin to most of them.