Screaming child in tent next door

[Sittininafield]

AIBU to think the parents are selfish knob heads. Fourth night in a row. Toddler screams from 10.30 till 11.30 ish every night and then periodically every couple of hours. Not sad baby crying but toddler tantrum screaming and shouting. I am beginning to think it is the spawn of satan. Why would you go camping if your child doesn’t sleep, and why wouldn’t you go home out of consideration for others after a couple of nights? They are quite now but I’m awake since the last screams at 3.30. Should I go and shake their tent in sleep deprived, demented re-wenge?

Honestly!! Give it a rest. And we wonder why so many new mums struggling with isolation and feeling disconnected???

This is why people really have a downer on parents these days. YES WE GAVE IT ALL UP FOR A FEW YEARS. Nobody died because we couldn't go to the Manoir aux Quatre Saisons - we went to pizza hut (or whatever) for a few years. We didn't let our kids run round cafés where people walked around with hot coffee and expect the whole sodding world to fit in with us.

It is about taking part in society. Yes, children are a part of it (so pp suggesting wild camping if i want babbling brooks didn't read the rest of my post where i said that noise is expected while camping at some times more than others) but instead of expecting the whole world to fawn over you for pushing Jocasta and Florian from your nether regions - how about you pay attention to where you might reasonably be welcome with children and where not.

Just like the rest of us did. JFC

It was Jean-Paul Sartre "l'enfer, c'est les autres" not Oscar Wilde.

One hour of screaming at 10.30 whilst annoying is hardly holiday destroying

Fourth night in a row. Toddler screams from 10.30 till 11.30 ish every night and then periodically every couple of hours.

That's not just one hour.

Why would anyone go camping in the first place is the question that puzzles me

I appreciate it is not for everyone, but for me my reasons are:

I live in a city and like escaping to a rural area and being close to nature
I like walking and choose campsites close to classic paths/treks and areas of outstanding natural beauty
I like to unplug and get away from screens
Fresh air
I have a campervan with fridge, decent cook facilities and a comfy bed so not sleeping in some uncomfortable tent on a wafer thin mat.
I often camp with friends I have not seen for a while, great way to catch up without distractions
It’s cheap
It’s good for my mental health.

@AllPlayedOut Okay, one hour a night. It is annoying no doubt - screaming kids especially when they aren't your own are horrible to listen to - but it is an hour and the OP is on family friendly campsite. I am going camping next week and do not anticipate having a peaceful nights sleep every night.

Okay, one hour a night. It is annoying no doubt - screaming kids especially when they aren't your own are horrible to listen to - but it is an hour and the OP is on family friendly campsite. I am going camping next week and do not anticipate having a peaceful nights sleep every night.

Did you miss the periodically every couple of hours part?

You need to be in a sodden field In a leaky tent with wet gear a plenty for all those bracing walks in the rain, and have a very earnest expression at all times. Oh and it needs to cost 50 p for a family of five! for a week! 😀

Said no advocates of camping on this thread whatsoever

I would have thought crying/screaming kids was par for the course on family camping. As is getting very little sleep. It's why I hate camping.

Of course you can't say anything - a toddler tantrum won't be stopped by you having a go. What a wonderful place the world would be if toddler tantrums could be stopped with a few words!

Are you ok @ReallyDoc ?

I literally just mentioned a crowded park run when I was injured by a buggy behind me. No consideration to the fact it was my hobby too and I was too injured to run for 2 weeks… I’m a parent too. The different here is that I didn’t injure anyone around me by being selfish.

“Don't take them on park run or any kind of run” isn’t what I said & it looks like you’re spiralling here.

You have taken a snippet of what I said and completely blown it up. Hope you’re ok though x

You want parents to isolate themselves then because their children do this?

I can't believe some of the responses on here. YANBU, op and @Brefugee , I'm 100% with you.

Not camping, but we took DS, who was 1 at the time on his first foreign holiday. He slept wonderfully at home, but the combination of the strange environment and the climate meant for a very unsettled first week. The couple in the next hotel room to us (also Dutch, incidentally) were very understanding but after the 4th night of him waking up and crying in the middle of the night, I sent a bottle of wine to their room. It would never have compensated for their disturbed sleep, but I hope it sent a signal that we were trying our best.

I frequently took him outside at 5am and walked around with him in the buggy when he woke early because, even as a parent, I hadn't completely lost touch with the reality of how it feels when the behaviour of other people impacts negatively on your experience - even if it's a child who 'can't help it'.

We've also eaten out exclusively at child-friendly places, never taken him to quiet places until we could absolutely guarantee that his behaviour wouldn't disturb others. I thought that was pretty normal, but it appears that families are 'entitled' to do whatever the hell they want to the detriment of others and kids have a 'right' to ruin everyone else's enjoyment. Makes me wonder why I bothered.

Back to the topic - the people with the screaming child need to leave. They're taking the piss.

I imagine at 3am - hell yes I would want them to “isolate”

and if I was in their shoes I would want to “isolate” knowing how many others were being impacted by it

Sure, but equally, nobody here is demanding absolute licence to make as much noise as they want either, so I'm unsure why that narrative is being pushed too!

People exaggerate to make their point, of course.

What I'm saying though is that I go camping, without kids, and I'm not bothered by hearing babies/kids/snorers etc. I know lots of other people who are the same. So the people saying "you're being a selfish entitled arse, go home" don't speak for everyone.

Yeah okay it can be annoying, but if it bothered me enough, there's something simple I could do to solve the problem and still allow other people the freedom to enjoy a holiday.... get some earplugs.

@Brefugee Nobody died because we couldn't go to the Manoir aux Quatre Saisons - we went to pizza hut (or whatever) for a few years. …
how about you pay attention to where you might reasonably be welcome with children and where not.

But surely a campsite is a place where it is reasonable to expect children to be welcome? They aren’t on holiday at a spa hotel or a 5* quiet resort, campsites usually have play parks and activities because they expect children. A certain level of noise comes along with that.

campsites usually have play parks and activities because they expect children

Not the ones we choose. Which could be why there aren’t many children here. So far, I have seen one. Playing quietly.

oh god read my post. Of course there are times when noise at campsites is fine, and to be expected. 4 days of screaming - not just an hour but intermittently through the night - isn't one of them.

Self-awareness is absent in a lot of cases. MN has a lot of hate for older people and people without children, or whose children have grown up so we don't have the same restrictions. But god forbid people who have actually been through this with a bit of sensitivity for those around us make a comment and BAM! we're horrible.

So again for the hard of reading: Sure, have at it during the day. I could handle one night - but after that, take your child home. The experience isn't enhancing their life in any way.

We trialled DD when she was about a year old at a campsite very close to home. It was awful! We came home that night, leaving our stuff behind which we went to collect the next morning and then had a day out instead. I couldn't settle knowing she had the campsite up. She just wasn't ready for it. Our next door neighbours, who we loved, thought it was hilarious, waving us off and waving us back!

But surely a campsite is a place where it is reasonable to expect children to be welcome?

I don't believe anyone is complaining about kids having fun, enjoying nature, sword fighting with sticks, getting excited at dinner time around the BBQ, playing with the dog etc, it is nice to hear people having some great family time. Baby/toddler screaming for hours for consecutive nights keeping people awake is what people think is a bit unreasonable.

YABU to expect to get a decent nights sleep in a tent regardless of what it is keeping you awake.

I have camped many a times and it has never been children that where the issue try drunken twats singing out of tune all night, people yelling from one tent to their mates tent at the other side of the field, idiots tripping over the guide wire while taking short cuts, spiders, heat, rain/condensation, the stupid air-mattress deflating, going from ice cold to hotter than the sun and allergies are usually the main thing.

Also obviously kids act different on holiday to at home, they are in a different and unfamilier enviroment and completely unpredictible regardless of if its a tent, caravan or hotel.

Did you REALLY think camping was going to be relaxing? it sounds like you booked the wrong holiday not them.

Thank you for my morning giggle! The description of your car is priceless!

I see far more people who can't seem to debate a point without insulting people or insinuating that they're less intelligent/can't read very well etc (rather than, you know, just disagreeing with you) than "hate for older people" on MN.

Nobody on this thread is expecting silence on a campsite.

@Brefugee totally with you.

Agree with this. That would be the exact thing that would trigger my DM's epilepsy. She's not had a fit in years but that's mainly because she knows how to avoid flashing, this is not something we'd expect to see.

Sorry OP, I'm so sensitive to noise and that's one of the reasons why I'd never go camping. Snoring, children, babies crying is everything I'd expect to hear on a campsite.

Sorry no help but this thread makes me so glad we sold our camper van and l never have to go camping again.
Hope you got some sleep op.

👆🎯