Neighbours letting their baby cry for hours at night

[Lifeswhatyoumakeit73]

It’s 3.30am. The neighbours 1 year old whose bedroom is clearly in the room next to mine (we are in a terrace) has been crying for 2 hours. The noise woke me up and I have been unable to get back to sleep.

Aibu to think it’s totally unacceptable to let your child scream for 2 hours. Apart from it being really awful for the child who is clearly distressed, it’s also awful to listen to and also has probably woken up the neighbours on the other side too. It’s not the first time either by a long way.

I don’t know if I should go & speak to them about it tomorrow.

You don't think some of the information in your second post should have been in the OP for a more complete picture?

@readbooksdrinktea sorry, it was 3.30am and I was a bit knackered…

Oh no, this is horrible, that poor poor child and the mother obviously isnt coping 🙁 maybe knock on and have a really gentle word, ask how she is then mention that the walls are really thin and you heard the child crying a lot last night, tell her you understand how hard things can be with small children and that your there if she ever needs a cup of tea and a chat? We never really know whats going on in other peoples lives

Babies don’t cry for 2 hours for no reason.

My toddler screamed all night for HOURS from 12 to 18 months. He was never left to cry, we rocked, shushed, patted, sang, walked, gave milk, gave cuddles, we tried everything. HV and Dr couldn't help. It was absolutely soul destroying. It's not always that parents are leaving their babies to cry. If you were our neighbours you wouldn't have heard everything we did to try and calm him down.

Convenient dripfeed. Report them then, why ask?

Based on your first post alone I'd probably speak to the neighbour, my daughter has autism and she can scream, shout and various other disruptions for hours and the mode I try to intervene the more upset she gets. However, based on your update I'd advise you to report your concerns to Children's Services, sounds like parents may not be coping.

That sounds horrible. With your follow up post, I'd think about reporting

Sounds like the mum needs a hug

They could be doing something though. Baby dd cried for 2 hours last night between midnight and 2. She wanted me to comfort her but I have norovirus and was projectile vomiting in bathroom. Dh was trying his best to settle her.

What makes you think they're not trying everything?
My daughter is nearly two now and sleeps through the night almost every night but when she was born she had colic. She would crying pretty much none stop from 11pm until 4pm, only stopping when she fed.
My husband was working so would often sleep in the other room and would sometimes wake in the night and find me crying and pacing around the room or rocking her and myself in the bed.
When he was on nights, I'd drive her around the city and visit him at work because it was the only time she'd stop crying.

3 year old could be being difficult.

It may be that 3 yo wants to bed share and parents are not allowing this to happen- for lots of sensible reasons.

They may not want 3 year old to disturb/hurt baby. They may have their own health needs that mean bed sharing is not possible. They may simply not want a toddler in their bed.

It is possible that the toddler is having a massive tantrum because its the middle of the night, they are overtired, and aren't getting what they want. Its ok for parents not to do everything their child wants!

Mum shouldn't be screaming/shouting but maybe shes really frazzled from dealing with the kids, we all have those days and it doesn't necessarily warrant immediately calling social services

This is a little late to this thread, but I live above a new neighbour who has two children, one is about three and is autistic, and the other is about 14/16 months old. They scream cry! All day every day. The only peace I get is when they go out or they are actually asleep.
I have lived here in this peaceful village for 27 years and have not ever had this problem. I couldn’t sleep well, get very agitated and sometimes angry, but, I have done my best to see it from their side.
No mother wants a child to be like this, I’m a father of two, and grandad to two more, and my granddaughter was a very aggressive cryer. How I felt sorry for my daughter and son in law but I didn’t live next door.
Now, it’s been quite a few months and I’m doing my best to distract my self from their crying, I listen to music on earphones, or have the telly on, then I’d go for walks which is the best option as it keeps me healthy!
My point is I’m trying to do my best for me, I can’t do anything for them, it’s life isn’t it?
They did at first had a puppy that they left at home, it would bark constantly and paw against walls and doors, that was worse than the crying! The dog is gone so I have some relief from that.
Trying to cope with a neighbours crying child is difficult, but you need to first at least see it from their side. Look at different ways to help yourself, ear plugs sound like a last resort but it isn’t, try them, they’re cheap and easy to use and could be your sleep saver.
Remember it’s their child they’re having to live with and also cope with, you can walk away from it, can they?

It's a toddler not a baby and could be having teething pain or night terrors. Why make an assumption the parents aren't bothering to do anything? My son has tantrums and the energy to keep going for prolonged periods!
I'm certainly not neglecting him. Are people not able to distinguish between potential abuse or normal behaviour from a child

My neighbour did that and messaged to say they were control crying. Was awful. Ear plugs/ white noise. You could say you were concerned. After a one hour full on crying / screaming session at 6am I did that. They said all fine, baby had to learn to go back to sleep 🤦🏻‍♀️🤦🏻‍♀️🤦🏻‍♀️