Screaming child visiting during lockdown...

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We have new next door neighbours and they have a balcony that overlooks the garden. Over the last couple of weeks, another couple with a small child visit their garden for 1-3 hours a day. Our neighbour sits on the balcony and chats to the visitors whilst they use the garden/paddling pool.

Their kid screams constantly. The parents chase the kid to make it scream, and do absolutely nothing to stop it screaming... they almost encourage it.

My two issues:

1. I assume this is against lockdown rules? But if they are coming from a flat and/or have no outside space, I do understand why they'd do this. Especially when the weather is nice.

However....

1. The screaming is driving me mad. I have a 7 month old DD and it's waking her up from naps and I can hear it inside with windows /doors closed... it's relentless and not limited to warm days, they come nearly every day. I don't Kline shouting/laughing etc.. all kids make noise, but the screaming constantly is horrendous!

I'm not confrontational and if I didn't have a child, I'd probably just turn they tv/radio up and ignore it. But lockdown is hard enough without an overtired baby!

AIBU to find this pretty unacceptable...? Tbh I'm such a wimp I'd probably never say anything, but need to vent!

I would calmly ask if their visitor could come at another time as the child is waking your baby. They seem like idiots to allow a small child to scream.

I’d anonymously report rather then confront.
They won’t know it’s you and the screaming will stop. Win win.

Sounds like they don’t have their own garden to let off steam in so use their friends garden instead. Must be bloody hard if you live in a flat etc. Not fair for them to be causing such a massive disturbance though. Defo worth a friendly chat with your Neigbour to see if they can keep it down a bit when they do visit. Or maybe take your daily exercise (go for a walk) when they visit?

Oh , bloody screaming children does my head in.
I work near schools , every break time and lunch time you hear them screaming (not just laugh/shout/play) but proper full on screams. I'm surprised their voices don't peg out .

Back in my day (for I am ancient) children weren't allowed to scream unless they were injured or scared .

In fact a prolonged scream would get
"Are you hurt"
"No"
"Do you want to be"?

Just have a friendly chat with your neighbour. Ask them to keep the noise down or choose a time when it won't cause you such a problem.

But to be honest, in the current situation, why would you report them? They are socially distancing from their hosts, getting a bit of fresh air and letting off some steam.

We all have to get through this. Having a small child and no outdoor space must be hell on earth, as you might find out in a couple of years. Finding a compromise would be better.

I sympathise. NDN have two young children - one is a shouter and the other is a screamer. The nice weather has meant lots of garden time, and consequently non-stop shouting and screaming. Their parents seem completely immune to it.

Don't go in with all guns blazing. This has obviously been going on for some time and as you haven't complained they don't realise it is driving you mad.
Just ask, nicely ....' Hello! I'm trying to get my baby to sleep so do you think you could play quietly for a bit please? Thank you.'
Easy.

I wouldn’t want to listen to a child screaming every day.

However, I don’t think it’s worth potentially falling out with your neighbours over.

It’s not going to last forever, they don’t live there.

It must be awful having a toddler and no garden. Your neighbours are helping someone out.

Some children - perhaps many - have a tendency to be screamers but it is totally controllable if the child is verbal and neorotypical, and often even when they're not!

A quiet, "We don't scream except in an emergency - where are you hurt? " is how considerate parents begin. Laughter, occasional shouts of joy or anger, tears of frustration or pain are all part of normal childhood noise, but persistent screaming is not.

A quiet word with the new neighbours at a time when the visitors aren't there can't hurt. For all you know, the neighbours might be glad of an excuse to tackle the issue with their visitors. If their hearing is functioning well it will be exhausting them, too.

but they chase him around / play games where the dad 'Roars' etc and the child goes crazy!

You have my sympathy. Over-excitable adults are as bad as over-excitable kids. Got 2 lots of neighbours like this.

Well lucky they aren’t you actual neighbours and you don’t have it all day everyday.

Imagine the poor mum stuck in with a child that is noisy and no garden .

Really petty to report them . They are kids it’s for a couple of hours get over it .

Go and tell your neighbour I'm really so but kid screamed for for over an hour struggling to get my baby asleep .

screaming kids the noise goes through my one of ours had screaming phase took a week to stop it every time outside screaming brought in . Screaming in house sat them in kitchen soon stopped .

Is it a shared garden? Either way it's not on!! It's not a park it's your home is have to say something.

I’d be inclined to suck it up so that you get to cash in the understanding when your own child is screaming outside in a year or two. Children hardly ever get the chance to just be without constant ‘shhing’.

YANBU. It's one thing in a park or pub garden, but in a private garden with residents around it's pretty selfish to deliberately excite children to screaming point.

But if you're not going to talk to them then you'll just have to accept it.

It's OK to let kids scream in a pub garden?????

There's a huge difference between normal loud 'playing noise' and screaming. Screaming is unacceptable, occasional loud 'yells' during play is fine (as long as it's not continual). To me it's more about pitch than volume.

I don't understand parents who just sit by whilst their children play 'who can scream the loudest' or whatever. Especially when they're in proximity to others.

There's nothing wrong with going over and politely asking that whilst you understand that children need to blow off steam and can be loud, they do need to keep the child from screaming.

It's OK to let kids scream in a pub garden?????

I was thinking of large pub gardens with play equipment, and I didn't really met 'let' them scream, but more that it would be more acceptable.

FWIW, I don't think I'd ever encourage my child to scream in that way.

I think YABU. It’s a toddler playing in the garden for an hour a day during lockdown. It’s not like they’re doing building work morning, noon and night for months on end, or having parties that go on TIL 6am 3 nights a week (my neighbours either side). You can report them but no council is going to be interested in prosecuting a family for a toddler being noisy for a tiny part of the day

Unless a child has a particular condition where it’s not possible for them to stop screaming shouting etc,
The level of screaming and shouting a child does, the parents are 100% at fault, for not teaching them to show consideration to others which is all to often ignored.

Just report them . They won't know it's you , will they ? Don't even bother having a conversation - if they allow this then they are going to defend themselves . It won't end well .

Do they have wind chimes too?
Signing their own Death Warrant if they do

My NDN ( 2 of them) were CM so I had pretty constant child noise especially in school holidays . It does get to be background noise if it's just playing - but a piercing scream is like a needle in your eyeball.

Neighbour child thwacking a football against a fence constantly has me eyeing up the patio slabs .

Just either contact your neighbour and explain calmly that it's too much screaming or speak calmly to the parents.

If you confront, you're just going to feel bad in 2 years when it's your kid annoying everyone.

Why do so many of you not realise that this is against the lockdown ?