Page 5 | To defend my kids over noise given lockdown restrictions?

Labobo · 08/01/2021 22:23

Get thick rugs. The noise caused by jumping children on hard floors when it reverberates through walls or ceilings is unbelievable. I once had a downstairs neighbour come up ready to kill my DC for just walking around in socks! Not running or jumping. Just moving from room to room. I could tell from his face the noise was genuinely unbearable to him but there was nothing we could do. I showed him how they were moving and he couldn't believe it. He'd thought they were pogoing in Doc Martens. Hard for you, but I feel sorry for your neighbours. Get carpets!

YouBoughtMeAWall · 08/01/2021 22:24

Buy him some ear plugs.

SlippersForFlippers · 08/01/2021 22:26

@dialsquare there was definitely relief, we were fortunate we didn't need to sell the old house so when it started to make me ill we sold and moved as soon as we could.

SnoozyLou · 08/01/2021 22:27

Can you put a trampoline in the garden and send them out wrapped up well to jump on that?

I'll bet he'd complain even more.

Our neighbour's dog goes our at 5am. He barks a little bit, but not excessively. Other people up and down the road use lawnmowers, power tools - I'd never dream of complaining. Unless OP's kids are literally bouncing off the walls. But just watching tv?

oakleaffy · 08/01/2021 22:28

@Chloemol

Noise really carry’s with wooden floors. Put carpets down, make sure your kids really are not making any noise. I wfh all the time, it’s very frustrating in the summer when kids are playing. I let it go unless they start screaming, but thudding in the house will carry and it’s only right you manage the kids to stop the noise

I have had pictures {Heavy glass framed} move on their hooks with vibration from next door when they used to have ''That Horrid Boy'' every Friday.

It would be relentless hours of running up and down stairs, jumping, and he'd whip up their kids {Normally very good} into a frenzy.

Assumed it was a boy because of the voice.

Thank goodness since lockdown have just had the other side's relentless Workmen banging and crashing and hammering for months on end...Even on Sundays.

Terraces are hell for noise.

Mum lives in an 1840's terraced Cottage...
But I could hear the old lady next door snoring through the wall.

SlippersForFlippers · 08/01/2021 22:30

Bought and moved as soon as possible that should say

Nettleskeins · 08/01/2021 22:30

Two big cheap synthetic rugs one on top of each other
Curtains instead of blinds, take them down in summer, cheap plastic curtain track
Cheap carpet with heavy underlay fitted on stairs.
Take them out first thing and early afternoon, they will concentrate better and leave you in peace later
Playground instead of walk, burns off more energy.

Our neighbours have wooden floors downstairs we can hear every convoin their family kitchen and hall. Age 1 and 5, barky dog. Luckily they are not particularily "vivacious" or perhaps halls adjoining drowns living room sound.
Upstairs they carpeted...silence...literally no sounds come thro.
Wood reverberates.

Daphnise · 08/01/2021 22:30

Your children are too noisy- but you just make excuses for them.

As you did ask I would sat that you should them quiet.

Nettleskeins · 08/01/2021 22:33

You can get incredibly cheap synthetic rugs. 300£ outlay is surely worth it to get through next few months???

oakleaffy · 08/01/2021 22:33

@YouBoughtMeAWall

Buy him some ear plugs.

Doesn't work. I tried the best 'Site' ones. Over ear cup type ones are hot and uncomfortable.

Plus, vibration /crashing from jumping makes the floor in one's own house vibrate.

If kids need that much exercise, take them out to run/cycle it off. {Gets parent/s fit as well.

Under exercised kids are going to be wilder.

Lifeinaonesie · 08/01/2021 22:34

Deny having children or knowledge of any children. Perhaps suggest it's a ghost

oakleaffy · 08/01/2021 22:34

@Nettleskeins

Two big cheap synthetic rugs one on top of each other Curtains instead of blinds, take them down in summer, cheap plastic curtain track Cheap carpet with heavy underlay fitted on stairs. Take them out first thing and early afternoon, they will concentrate better and leave you in peace later Playground instead of walk, burns off more energy.

Our neighbours have wooden floors downstairs we can hear every convoin their family kitchen and hall. Age 1 and 5, barky dog. Luckily they are not particularily "vivacious" or perhaps halls adjoining drowns living room sound.
Upstairs they carpeted...silence...literally no sounds come thro.
Wood reverberates.

Spot on.

Ginfordinner · 08/01/2021 22:34

Excellent post @WombatChocolate.
The worst thing to do would be to tell the neighbour to do one.

YouBoughtMeAWall · 08/01/2021 22:37

Doesn't work. I tried the best 'Site' ones. Over ear cup type ones are hot and uncomfortable.

Plus, vibration /crashing from jumping makes the floor in one's own house vibrate.

If kids need that much exercise, take them out to run/cycle it off. {Gets parent/s fit as well.

Under exercised kids are going to be wilder.

I wasnt really serious. I don’t think OP needs to do anything to appease him. Sometimes in a terrace you hear noise. Don’t like it? Move. I live in one- they’re noisy at times. I accept this.

BlueThistles · 08/01/2021 22:37

www.standard.co.uk/news/uk/couple-face-ps1m-legal-bill-after-losing-battle-over-noisy-wooden-floor-a4180116.html

grapewine · 08/01/2021 22:37

I voted YABU as 20 minutes of relentless jumping and screaming is really unacceptable. Children can be taught to not screech and there are parks to run around in and let off steam.

Agreed. The people in the flat above me seems oblivious to the noise from their screaming and jumping on wooden floors. My only hope is I'll get used to it. But it is so loud.

AndcalloffChristmas · 08/01/2021 22:38

I think your neighbour sounds like he needs more empathy! Could your kids have run around the garden rather than the living room if you have one?

We are so lucky - we’re end of terrace and the only joined side neighbour is almost deaf. She has to have her phone super loud to hear it so we hear that but we obviously don’t mind at all. I only have one who is young enough to jump about and make noise (6) so it helps he doesn’t have a going wild partner (but sad for him!).

My 12 yo however plays the trombone so it’s super lucky no one can hear it - I’ve asked, they can’t, including the non joined neighbour. Her grandson apparently plays the sax in the house but I don’t hear that either.

I guess I’m saying everyone has to make a bit of noise as it’s not realistic to expect silence.

AndcalloffChristmas · 08/01/2021 22:39

Don’t know why I keep saying “ super” everything there - I don’t usually talk like that!

tempnamechange98765 · 08/01/2021 22:45

Eek. YANBU because I have two 5 and under and they are SO loud. And we are in lockdown, they're losing enough of their normal play opportunities.

But it's so awful being bothered by frequent neighbour noise.

Take some suggestions on board of how to minimise it eg rugs, mats etc (Totter and Tumble is brill!) and maybe do some sort of goodwill gesture? At the beginning of lockdown last year I left a bottle of wine and a note on my neighbour's apologising in advance for the noise/number of times they would hear baby shark and they were very thankful. I keep my kids quiet in the morning (take them straight down stairs) and any thumping etc I address but I'm sure they do bother my neighbours. But they've never said anything.

AliceMcK · 08/01/2021 22:46

@Vitaminsss

Not to be nasty, but how does lockdown impact a 5 year old? Presumably their lives are pretty similar to normal as they’re not at school

I’m assuming your not in England, children start school the September after they turn 4. So a child who turned 4 in August may start school days or weeks after they turned 4. So lockdown could well be impacting there lives.

movingonup20 · 08/01/2021 22:46

Whilst it's hard for you, when people are trying to work noise from next door is really hard. We have good insulation so don't hear our neighbours much but they did comment how nice it was to have childless neighbours (our kids are adults) after the last lockdown to us (we recently moved in). I think work hours (9-5 approx) even if it means lots of tv or iPad kids need to be kept quiet when not doing school work. It's really really hard but we have to be considerate to everyone - from 5pm until 8 or so then it's completely reasonable for them to be noisier

oakleaffy · 08/01/2021 22:47

@grapewine

I voted YABU as 20 minutes of relentless jumping and screaming is really unacceptable. Children can be taught to not screech and there are parks to run around in and let off steam.

Agreed. The people in the flat above me seems oblivious to the noise from their screaming and jumping on wooden floors. My only hope is I'll get used to it. But it is so loud.

SIL {2 kids} lives in a flat.

Just bought a working bred Border Collie Puppy ''For the children'' when it expressly says in the lease ''No Dogs''.

Currently she is WFH...But when she goes back to work... the dog will go crazy.

From having 3 people in the house constantly to having none...

Separation Angst, and none of them like walking much.

INSANITY

Likely to have to re-home the poor dog due to the noise she makes when they leave her.

{Still a puppy}

BigDaddio · 08/01/2021 22:48

Terraced houses can be really loud - I used to live in one where one adjoining house was vacant - then when a family moved in with a couple of kids there was a lot of noise - some weekend morning it sounded like they were outside MY bedroom door ! (This was before I had children but I never bothered saying anything - it was just part and parcel of a terraced house!)

GrumpyHoonMain · 08/01/2021 22:49

@Needsomegoodies

We live in a terraced house, with wooden floors, so I appreciate noise carries. My children are not ‘naturally quiet’ and can be quite active and yes, sometimes they drive me mad thumping but only ever briefly, they are always asked to quieten down and consider the neighbours and are just regular excitable children. They are excellent sleepers so make no noise between 8pm and 8am and we’ve lived in our house since before the kids and no one has ever complained. Both my husband and I are WFH and home schooling the children, 8 and 5, which is hard. I spent the morning working with my little one to get her school work done at the expense of my own work while the older one worked online. I then took them both out for a walk for an hour at lunchtime to burn off some energy, then tried to juggle the afternoon working, helping older child finish school stuff, while 5 yo did colouring and played a quiet game alone. At about 5pm they were given permission to chill out and watch tv so I could get on with some work and DH went to shops to get stuff for dinner. They were quiet to start with but then started playing a game and jumping. After about 10 mins I went in and asked them to stop (which they did for all of 3 mins..) and after another 10 mins there was hammering on my front door and new (moved in just before Christmas) neighbour stated ranting at me about ‘excessive noise that was constant and relentless’ when they were trying to work. I explained that although the kids had been noisy right then, they’d been quiet most of the day and he claimed, no it’s constant and you need to stop the noise. I explained the challenges we are all facing and that it’s hard on the children but he seems to think they still shouldn’t be jumping around or making noise. At the end of the day. During a lockdown. His daughter of about 20 then joined him claiming she understood its hard as she’s young too but I replied no, she’s not 5, she has no idea. The kids are stuck at home and can’t see their friends so surely they can’t be begrudged some active play with a sibling from time to time, even if it’s a bit noisy?!

I’m massively stressed and exhausted and this has upset me but I don’t think I’m in the wrong here.

Or AIBU?

You could try getting some large plush rugs to see if that stops the noise. With wooden floors all noise carries - not just the kids playing, but normal day to day stuff too like walking and hoovering and even if the music is too loud.

Leeds2 · 08/01/2021 22:51

I would be vary wary about being in any way confrontational with your neighbour, as this may result in him playing loud music/doing DIY etc at bedtime.