making noise outside the house with 11month old asleep

[BeenThereTooSEL]

I'm fully aware I might be being mental but...

We have an 11month old baby. She still sleeps in our bedroom at the front of the house. The other bedrooms are at the back of the house but are a single room and a box room. We live on a residential avenue.

EVERY night the ice cream truck stops outside the window with the music. Usually around 8pm. The music wakes her even with the windows closed and white noise on in the background.

Also across the street there's a chap who I've never seen to say hello to, but he often calls a cab then for whatever reason (it's the same cab driver & car every time) then has shouty arguments with the cab driver about getting in the cab? Again this is usually after 10pm, usually 3+ times a week.

I'm aware he might have some sort of additional need but it's waking my daughter!


AND SHE DOESNT SLEEP FOR LONGER THAN 3 HOURS A TIME ANYWAY!!!!

AIBU to

1. Ask the ice cream truck to park else where

1. Tell the guy opposite to shut up!

[MrsJayy]

Move her into her own room ? I know its irritating but you really cant tell them to shush

[villainousbroodmare]

That is annoying - DS is exactly the same age as your DD and I have occasionally wanted to kick next door's dog for an ill-timed bout of hysterical barking - but in your position I would say nothing.
I would think about moving bedrooms, or hanging heavy lined curtains (they make quite a big difference) and/ or gradually acclimatising your baby to snooze with more background disturbance.
If she's still waking twice every night, you must be really tired. Do you feed her when she wakes? We recently managed to eliminate a 2am feed and the resulting stretch of sleep feels so luxurious!

[BeenThereTooSEL]

We really don't want to as she has had fits and we feel it's safer to have her close so we know if it happens.

Sorry to drop feed

[BeenThereTooSEL]

Drip

[neonrainbow]

The world isn't going to stop for your child.

[BeenThereTooSEL]

I made the curtains in the bedroom and they're lined with super heavy blackout material. She's fine with day naps & noise. I made sure of that lol! She still wakes 4 times a night. Only one of those is a boob feed. The other times she wakes up happy, no tears etc. Just wakes up lol! I'm used to it now but I'd like say 8pm-11pm to do some housework, shower, was my hair etc. Also husband is very supportive! Does lots around he house etc and works FT.

I am just being mental aren't I?

[MrsJayy]

Thats ok you didnt drop feed the seizures must be terrifying could you put a radio on the window sill so it distorts and she gets used to noise

[Mycatsabastard]

Certainly ask the ice cream man if he could park further down and maybe shorten the music but it's his business and he may be a bit put out. You can only ask him nicely.

As for the guy across the road, if he has additional needs and is shouting at the taxi driver every night then there's not much you can do about it.

I do sympathise. I do. My youngest never slept for longer than 2-3 hours until she was 4 years old. I was walking about tripping over the bags under my eyes. I lived in a city at the time but I don't think it would have made much difference in my case. She was just a terrible sleeper.

The only thing I could think of is putting a blanket up behind the curtains to muffle noise or fit double glazing if you haven't already.

[BeenThereTooSEL]

We've got white noise which works a treat. It's just the bloody ice cream van music is super high pitched (AND ANNOYING!) and the guy shouting is the other side of the small road and he likes to slam all the car doors. So it's loud bangs etc rather than background noise. She sleeps through both neighbours normal house noises. The wall that joins onto our bedroom joins onto our neighbours and we hear the kids running round playing etc and that doesn't bother her

[Flacidunicorn]

I'm sensitive to noise, it hate it, every sound, whisper, beep, bang, cackle, kicked can of special brew, etc etc is an affront to my ears.

But, thats my problem, noone else's. You can't moderate peoples normal behaviour just because it disturbs your child. If they were being antisocial, loud parties, drive king till 4am every night, then you could complain.

Personally, I leave my DD to it, I'd rather her get used to noise so I don't block it out, I hope she won't grow up like me and be tortured by sound.

[nocoolnamesleft]

Aren't they only allowed to use the chimes up to 7pm?

[RubbleBubble00]

ice creams vans are loud and yes it would really really annoy me

[MumOnTheRunCatchingUp]

But even if you do ask and those two things stop there will be 2 new things which come along...

Kids playing out
Lawnmowers
Car alarms
Families arguing
Dogs barking

[GrandmaJosephine]

I don't see why you couldn't have a word with the ice cream man. Sort of portray yourself as neurotic mother, feels awful asking blah blah but....

Does he get enough custom every night to make it worthwhile?

Taxi man, not so such. You've got to live close to him so worth keeping friendly relations

[NapQueen]

Put a travel cot in the box room and put her in there for the start of the night. First milk feed (assuming 11pm from what you've said) feed and put back down in the master bedroom.

[MrsJayy]

Its 9 for ice cream vans

[AliceInHinterland]

I agree you can't stop people going about their normal lives for your baby but both those things sound really annoying regardless of babies, plus they are repeated on a regular basis, and the ice cream person is not just a neighbour going about their normal business. I would ask them to park up elsewhere - how much business does he get at 8pm?!! I would also ask the taxi arguer to keep it down as long as I didn't think that would start a bigger conflict.

[BeenThereTooSEL]

I've tried to find out if the guy opposite has a support worker or something but have had no luck. As clearly it's distressing for him too.

I might try and speak nicely to the ice cream man. I've never approached him before.

Maybe I can try the travel cot in another bedroom. I'll have to buy another set of monitoring equipment but for 3 hours peace it would be worth it.

[BeenThereTooSEL]

We do have car alarms etc going off and that's cool. As it doesn't happen 5-7 times a week.

I'm not asking the world to stop. I'm asking someone to not be screaming "I'm not getting in your car you cunt" "call the fucking police then!"'etc a few times a week opposite my house.

And it would be good if the ice cream man could maybe pull up a few houses down the street? I'm not asking him to not have music.

[MrsJayy]

Travel cot is genuis you could get cheap monitors on ebay wouldnt she wake when you lifted her though cot with castors is what you need

[Believeitornot]

I would move house. Obviously a huge step but it sounds horrible long term.

[RubbleBubble00]

I'd go for travel cot in back room the move when your going to bed/any waking after 10pm

[BeenThereTooSEL]

We've been here 2 years and we've had some arseholes move in. Namely the guy opposite and from what we can gather some alcoholics the other side of us (not the side with children. Their lovely and so are their kids!)

She doesn't wake when transferred so I'll just whip her out into her cot in our room. The monitoring equipment is expensive as it's got a breathing mat etc due to seizures.

[MrsJayy]

Oh sounds very high tech is it bulky to move it all

[BeenThereTooSEL]

I wouldn't like to keep taking it apart as id be worrying that I hadn't connected something correctly etc. I'm pretty laid back usually but the seizure thing worries me a lot.

Maybe it is time to move her and the equipment etc. I just know that I will sleep better knowing she's next to me should anything occur. Plus it's mega easy to boob her in our bed and pop her back into the cot after (that's if we don't both fall asleep and then she stays in our bed until the next wake!)