Shrieking child next door ALL DAY LONG! WWYD

Who wants to wear noise cancelling headphones in their own house? You can’t hear the phone/door, you can’t listen to the radio, you can’t watch telly. It’s madness this is suggested so often like forfeiting your right to hear in your own home is remotely normal.

Someone will shout SN soon, I'm sure, but I think you need to speak to his parents and tell them to stop him from shrieking. It's not fair on your family to let him carry on with this.

Sadly I think I could be one of those “ignoring” parents. I have always tried to stop my DCs when I notice it, but I’m so immune to general high-pitched child noises (I work with children) that 9/10 my ears just haven’t picked it up.

That’s the nature of living in terraced housing unfortunately. I empathise but the only solutions I can see are noise cancelling headphones, get your money up and move somewhere remote, or get used to it.

i don’t think there is much you can do- noise cancelling headphones, go in the office more or try to move your working area to a room further away?

Talking to his dad over the weekend would be my first step. They might genuinely not be aware how thin the walls are since they don't hear you

Same here. The neighbours 2 year old shrieks loud enough to shatter glass. Thb I usually just turn the telly up.

I’d make an effort to get to know them.
There are many, many conditions that cause excitability in children, and just because he’s verbal doesn’t mean he doesn’t have speech delays. Telling a kid with speech delays to essentially shut up would make you a serious AH. I wouldn’t say or do anything without more knowledge about their situation.

And as someone else said, the fact you WFH I assume you can go into the office when you really need to get some work done. The kid can’t just move out.

If he’s the age you say he is then he’ll be in school in a year or two, but until then you might just have to put up with it. It’s part and parcel of the territory of living in a terrace or flat. I’d rather an excitable and happy child than a miserable, crying one, or even the drug dealers who smoked weed 24/7 to the point I couldn’t even open my windows and had the stink practically drenching through my walls.

Do you live in a town beginning with H? I may be back to back with you. The shreeking yesterday was out of control.

Noise cancelling headphones?

It's difficult to say - could be just a phase or additional needs. I can imagine it's even worse for the parents.

I do feel for you, because we have loud upstairs neighbors (5 kids).

If the child has ASD or other additional needs there may be nothing the parents can do. I'm assuming it will be much worse for them - I don't imagine the parents don't find it difficult too?

Some parents actually let their kids shriek and scream. It’s horrible. Kids do it sometimes anyway but we’ve always been quick to correct ours. It amazes me other peoples kids on play dates who just scream and scream randomly. Sometimes when I’m driving! If I’m the only adult I stop them but if their parent is there I don’t say anything but am really unimpressed with them ignoring it.

Anyway, your neighbour won’t like it but I’d probably raise it because they’re essentially letting their child scream in your home constantly. I’d say ‘you’re probably deaf to it and I know kids get excited sometimes but please try reduce the constant screaming. It’s really intrusive.’

Noise cancelling headphones? Hopefully he’ll grow out of it soon. Not really much you can do. I expect his parents are suffering too.

Could you move your desk set up to another part of your house?

Can you go into the office more?