Are we a nightmare to live next door to?

[squinker45]

Me and d h child mind from home. We have d s 6 and d d 4, plus up to 5 other under fives. Nice weather means the kids are in the garden every day from 830 to 930 then 3 to 5, then 5..30 to 6. The rest of the time we are out at groups, or eating or sleeping etc. Neighbours hate us! They came round to complain saying this is a nice quiet area and her kids, teenagers, could not revise under these conditions. Also that she knows the other neighbours, who have barking dogs,feel the same as she does. They are old friends and their kids are the same age. Bet it wasn't a nice quiet area ten years ago when they got the paddling pool out. Aibu to think they are being overly arsey? We have only been here six months. Semi detached house. No complaints about the noise from within the house but a clear expectation to keep noise in the garden to a whisper. We work four days a week, neighbour works 2.

I'd also be annoyed that you just threw them outside in your garden to play and couldn't be bothered to do anything else with them.

So would I, but the OP didn't say that.

And free play plus outdoor provision is a very important part of the curriculum, AFAIK.

ToomuchMN the CM had to let some clients go to get back in ratio and comply with planning. She has a big set up in a small house, a couple of assistants with lots of kids so more like a mini nursery! She is being 'monitored' for noise, but I hear that it hasn't been as much of a problem recently.

as I thought a lazy childminder who obviously can't be bothered to do anything else apart from shove the kids in the garden, no finger painting, play dough, Lego etc

If that's the way of it, it's very U and no wonder the neighbour is going mad.

My neighbour had one screaming DC. I went round once cos the screaming was literally all fucking day. I was in tears, my fil couldn't be wheeled out during his last summer to sit in the garden due to this kid who was totally ignored, older sister was 'in charge' and wound her up to screaming ALL THE FUCKING TIME. It was truly horrific. Fortunately, she grew up. 7 little ones running round would make me move. The two boys next door, however, don't scream, play nicely and have the sweetest way, they don't bother me even slightly.

Lots of aspersions being cast here - who decided that the OP was a lazy childminder??

You can't control the use of gardens that you don't own, if the OP's permissions are above board I sincerely hope that she is allowed to get on with it by the authorities.

I am pretty sure that little children have to have permanent access to outdoor space these days, I remember signing a cheque for wet play suits at a school because they had to have them.

I'd never buy a house next/near to a nursery or a school.

You have effectively moved a nursery next door to your neighbours and if I was them I'd be none too impressed.

8 young children ARE noisy and you are being very unfair on your neighbours.

Where do you expect childminders to go? The nature of the job is that it is home-based childcare.

Yeah, you're running a business in a residential area and need to be mindful of how that affects your neighbours tbh. How does the fact that she only works two days mean anything? Surely that's none of your business.

I would hate this. I've been in situations where neighbour noise has driven me to tears.

I'd try to reduce noise levels and play time frequency as much as feasible.

For what it's worth OP I live next door to a lady who childminds. She has a similar number of kids in her garden. I don't have a problem with the noise. I think It's nice to hear kids playing happily.

Wouldn't bother me at all, anyone who thinks this sort of thing is "neighbours from hell" material should stay over in the crowded, poorly insulated crapholes we've lived in before. 5am Russian techno, anyone?

Just ignore them, OP.

I don't think you are being unreasonable but I don't think they are either. Even playing noise of that many children can be loud but equally, you have a right to have children in your garden.

I'd be kind and assume they are stressed as it's exam time. If you could keep the mindees inside until 9.30 for the next couple of weeks, I think it would improve neighbourly relations. Once the schools break up etc, I don't see why you can't have the children outside at 9. I do agree that 8.30 is a little early.

It's not exactly lovely weather in this country, so I doubt your mindees will be out all hours for the entire year, so I think your neighbours need to be aware of this.

"Then after tea I guess I will park then in front of telly?"

Please don't do this on account of some joyless neighbours and some people on this thread.

The DC being out and playing freely is good for their development, and people who have a problem with hearing DC play are the ones with a problem IMO.

You may have several neighbours who enjoy the sound of children playing, but they're hardly going to knock on your door to tell you.

She doesn't have to do it anyway because as a child minder she should be able to get them engaged in a variation of indoor activities.

Which should be being done anyway

My neighbors had noisy kids when they were little and it drove me nuts. Now mine is the noisy little one, and they get to suck it up like I had to actually, they're really nice we have no problems.

I'd ask all the kids "Who screams for icecream?!" ignore them and keep on keeping on. If it's not during quiet hours, they have no grounds for complaints.

Senpai - with that kind of attitude you sound like the neighbour from hell.

I'm a childminder. I regularly have 5 or 6 children in my garden playing. They don't screech or scream, they make an acceptable amount of noise.

I'm glad to hear a childminder say this, because this was my experience with all the childminders dd went to. The children did not scream and shriek while playing - they played happily in the garden without screaming. The occasional squeal when splashed with water, yes. Screeching at top volume for hours on end, no.

I would hate to be your neighbour.

Although free play is important for children they also learn how to be mindful of others.

Gardens are not just places for children to have unstructured high energy screaming sessions.
Being outside is great for kids, but garden play shouldn't just be about trampolines and football.

Gardens are great for structured quiet but messy activities, my kids would paint in the garden, no worry about mess, also for non combative water play. Good places for paper mache, for learning about wildlife, for gardening, but hunts, planting and making wildlife areas, learning about birds, chalking on slabs, having small picnics.
As a SAHM my kids spent most of the summer outside ( along with half the neighbourhood kids it felt at times) , but were rarely noisy.

Unsupervised kids are noisy.

Just to say, not that I should need to if you read previous posts but key word with numbers is up to 5 others, we only have six at a time, my oldest is at school and on the one day we do have that number we swap her at the school gate with one of our 5 mindees . I am aware of planning law, we learned about it on the course when we qualified. The children do not scream, they are not unsupervised, they are given structured activities to do. My comment about parking them in front of TV was only for after tea when we need to clear up, and usually we do stuff like drawing and stories, I was in fact joking. It would look terrible at pick up!

Gardens are not just places for children to have unstructured high energy screaming sessions.

I'm not sure why many PP are assuming the children are running about screaming.

primal- why would the neighbours complain if they were playing quietly?

Because they like complaining? I've already linked to another thread about neighbours complaining selectively because they don't like the family in the OP. You only have to spend an hour reading 'neighbours' threads on here to see how people can be.

they came round to complain saying this is a nice quiet area

That is the problem. They have a sense of what this nice area is like, and it does not include childminding next door. Nothing to do with noise, maybe just didn't fit in with her dreams for her neighbourhood.

Your mindees are lucky to have you to go to. People should support childminders. If they want peace and quiet, they can go indoors while yours are out, it's not like you're out there all day.

I would GLADLY have you as my neighbour. So long as I don't have to threaten you with the police to make you get off my roof as I have with my current ones!
Previous neighbour had groups of kids running round most days and never bothered me at all. Since they moved I now have neighbours who make all kinds of unusual noises day and night, have a great love of DIY at all times of day, love slamming all doors and shouting seems to be the way they communicate. They are certainly my definition of nightmare neighbours, not you!

YANBU

I think your neighbours are lucky that you aren't outside all day - they have a long period in the middle of the day without the joyful noise of happy children playing so should be able to put up with it at the start and end of the day (but agree that you should perhaps keep them in until 9am).