Neighbours asked us to be quiet

[sillystupidupset]

My next door neighbours told us we are being to loud in the mornings. I have a 8 month old baby who is awake around 6. He is finding his voice and talking loudly and shouting. He doesn't cry, and is happy... just learning to make noises I suppose.

I can't control this at all, playing, holding, rocking etc does not stop him from doing it.

I feel so awful about my neighbours but what can I do?

I guess I'm just asking on a scale of 1 to 10, how bad should I feel

6am really isn't that early. Please stop shushing him and letting this agitate you and your family.
He's not wailing all through the night, just being a happy little chap who's ready to start his day!

If they say anything again just shrug and tell them it could be much worse, you could have dogs that bark all day long or a grumpy baby that cries all night! Then smile and walk away. Perhaps they're feeling stressed with everything at the moment and found it cathartic to moan at you.

Absolutely ignore. It is annoying but it's a baby. And it's not like he/she is crying all night (not that that would be your fault either). As a pp said, make the right sympathetic noises and forget about them.

I'm noise sensitive but they're being ridiculous. It's not like you're having loud parties and blasting techno through the walls at 3am.

Far too many properties seem to have awful soundproofing but that's hardly your fault.

You could always put in sone sound proofing. If you have laminate floors then putting down a rug would also help a lot. I wouldn’t worry too much though. Just agree to be quieter each time and carry on.

In my experience "finding his voice" is usually a euphemism for the sort of top-volume unpredictable screeching and squealing that could wake the dead, never mind the neighbours

Is it the light that wakes him so early? Do you have blackout blinds? Could you stick him straight in the buggy and take him out for an early morning walk? Would be nice at this time of year!

Stop shushing and stifling your child! He is learning to communicate!

they have a 2 dogs that bark all day and all night Wait for them to complain again and say you'll keep your baby quiet when they deal with their dogs! Add that it has never been anything you thought to complain of, but now he has started you thought you'd let him know how irritating his household noise is too!

6am really isn't that early. I think it is early - maybe not for parents of small babies but for the rest of the world - it is!

Buy them some ear plugs?

They might as well make an official complaint to the birds in the trees outside and tell them to stop singing

I'd totally ignore them

I agree that this is an issue they should take up with the housebuilder/landlord. It's not your fault, OP, that the houses aren't built with decent sound insulation.

Normal noise of day to day living, not much can be done about it, really.

From what I understand anyway council noise teams won't do anything about sounds from children like playing, running around and babies crying...I'm pretty sure that what I read somewhere.

Hence why I'd totally ignore them. Don't stress yourself out moving rooms or trying to shush your baby.

I'm pretty sure there's nothing they can do about it anyway.

The only thing you can do is shift bedtime to later = later waking

Tell them you’ve passed their concerns on to your baby.

The matter is now in his little hands.

I agree with pp, next time they complain ask them as experienced parents what they suggest as an 8 month old does not understand the word quiet a bit like a barking dog, and please don't shush him or get upset, he will think it's bad to be happy. He sounds like a delightful
baby and you should be proud of that. I also agree that a later bedtime does not work, mine still used to be up at the crack of dawn and then spend all day grumpy to boot.

I absolutely hate noisy, inconsiderate neighbours. But a baby babbling!?

Don't apologise or make any adaptations in response to their comment. Baby has as much right to live and grow as they do. And it doesn't sound like he's being excessively loud. Their problem - they sound neurotic

They are been unreasonable.
End of

This is part of life. They are BU. They will have to learn to live with it.

Let's try and see this from the neighbours perspective. You might think your child is being quiet and making normal noises....but try and see how it might be from their side.

My neighbour tells me her son is 'just a little boy growing up'. He's not. He's actually feral. He runs up and down the stairs at all hours, he's loud and unruly and nothing at all like a normal boy. Trust me, I know....I've brought up a boy and often had several of his friends round and they didn't behave like that.

Baby noise every single morning could become annoying day after day. I think I'd be annoyed at being woken by it every day. A one off, yes.....but every day! They have every right to moan about something that annoys them. People telling you to just carry on are actually being selfish. Remember, the world doesn't revolve around your child. Do you really want to open a can of worns here over something you actually can control? Just take your child into another room.

@StatementKnickers. Exactly! Charming and delightful to the mother.....but utterly horrendous for everyone else 😂

Footy, they don't have any right to moan if they have two dogs barking all day!
Besides, there's nothing she can really do about it.

Yes I had missed that they have two barking dogs which I'd say means they have no leg to stand on here. How do they sleep through the barking though? and doesn't it disturb your DS' nap times?

@footwife op already said its just the one room downstairs so what else would you suggest?

It’s a real tough one. He’s only a baby and obviously should be able to Be babbling in his own home if that is really what he is doing.
On the other hand your neighbours have just as much right to have peaceful enjoyment of their own home too without having to use earplugs.

It sounds like it may be more than just babbling as I’m struggling to see how your neighbours can hear it even with thin walls. Apologies if I’m wrong.
It’s wrong to just carry on and do nothing and really quite selfish, It’s also very wrong to do what another poster suggested up thread of turning it around onto your neighbours by asking them what they would do.

you need to find some sort of solution, change rooms, take him for a walk etc
Good luck

You can't tell a baby of that age to be quiet or tell them to sleep longer.

As pp said, stay away from the room that is next to their bedroom and look into possibilities of sound proofing your home.

There isn't much more you can do.