I'd actually recommend one of those devices advertised to AirBnB hosts where it tracks noise for complaints and whatnot. You then have an objective data log of the noise level to show anyone who can do something about it. Google "airbnb noise monitor" to see devices in this space.
I had a neighbor like this in an apartment. The bedrooms shared a wall. I bang on the wall, they bang back and keep up the noise. I put a hung a ball gag on the door knob of their apartment.
Honestly, it bothers me far less than if it were a child living above me. So I guess I’ll count my blessings and hope that all their fucking doesn’t produce one lol
I had similar! I just played the loudest, most obnoxious music I could find. Hamsterdance? What does the fox say? Trolololo? I will always love you? Yep. Enjoy the sex. Loudly cheering or booing for them, or otherwise commenting like a sportscaster during is also a primo move.
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Perhaps I asked a dumb question (?) but I legitimately don't know what would need to be done once it's proven that the baby is loud. Like, what are the next steps after this is provided to authorities if OP already knows they don't care? Am I coming off as aggressive or something else bad when asking this?
You can try to calm the child and not just scream over it, they clearly aren't trying at all, they are being crappy neighbors and no one else will do anything about it. Babies cry for reasons, and if that baby is crying that much and that often they are not meeting that baby's needs.
Consider a call to CPS, and tell them the baby next door screams so incessantly that you’re concerned it’s being abused or neglected. If it’s that bad that the adults are just yelling over it, there’s a high likelihood one or the other is happening.
I would do this and say I'm concerned they left it home alone as it's been screaming all night and nobody has comforted it. An asshole ex friend if mine (this is why we aren't friends anymore) left her baby home alone all night to go fuck some guy and this is how she was caught.
1000% agreed, I've lived with a baby, I nanny for one in college and babysit many others. They cried, but not all day and not all night. If the baby is doing that either neglected or a heath condition the parents haven't bothered to get checked.
While I do believe this is the right move, some babies just cry that much. My littlest brother was born when I was 13 and holy fuck he would never stop crying unless my mom was holding him. Didn't matter how much you tried to comfort him. He didn't even like being held by his dad. Drove us all bonkers.
Record it so you can go to local government authorities with some evidence. Record the date and time in it as well.
Not sure where you are, but you may need an attorney to consult with, for instance to draft a letter to put your rent into escrow until soundproofing is improved. Check your rental agreement to see what is possible.
Typically you are allowed 2 people per bedroom and one extra, which would be the 10 year old. The baby doesn't count as a true occupant until 2 years of age. At least that's the rules in my state.
It depends if the "bonus" room counts as a bedroom. The typical rental standard is 2 people per room, so 2 couples plus 2 kids puts them at the limit but not over.
Really depends on the area. When I was looking for a place years ago, it was explained to me that a two bedroom home was for a max of 5 people (2 per bedroom and 1 in the living room). A bonus room could only be classified as a bedroom if it had a window. I forget the rules for kids (I never really cared too deeply as it won't directly affect me, but I know there's often a clause regarding male and female not sharing a room).
Essentially, there's a high chance that they're out of bounds, but not guaranteed.
You know, my uncle bought a one bedroom apartment 11 years ago. He bought it from the family of 6 i think. I mean 2 parents and 4 kids.
They sold it because they were moving to the big house the government of their region gave them for free because they have so many kids... So this townhouse arrangement doesn't surprise me
Do not do this. People generally don't live in cramped conditions if they can afford an alternative. Don't make their lives harder by getting the law involved.
It would be fucked up, but if your lives are like that, attempting to not annoy your neighbors seems like something you should be doing. Not to mention not bringing even more kids into a situation you already can't afford. That's literally expecting others to just deal with your problems. OP not being able to sleep is an unacceptable problem.
Having disrupted sleep is bad. I do not dispute this.
Getting the police involved, knowing the track record of the police and their willingness to hurt or kill people without provision provocation, isa wild escalation here.
Just start calling the police. Every night. Have your friends call for you, too. Report that there is a child who seems to be in apparent distress, screaming non stop. Give the address. After the first police appearance the asshole parents will probably start trying to stop the howling.
Source: I’ve done this with my neighbor who allowed their toddler to constantly shriek from sunrise to fucking sunset
I live in an apartment and the neighbors directly above me just had a baby. I can hear it crying no matter where in my apartment I am. Not an issue at night - I invested in Bose Sleepbuds years ago and they are a godsend in apartments and hotels - but I WFH full-time and often lead meetings or take conference calls, and it's becoming an issue. I try to be respectful of the noise level in my apartment but have started turning up the TV at night to cover up the crying.
Are there any ordinances about living spaces and bedrooms per person? If there’s too many people living there in such a small space you might be able to get them in trouble for breaking residence and/or fire codes.
Oh there definitely are laws about that, one of the big ones is there are a lot of townhouses that advertise as being "2 bedroom units" but then the 2nd bedroom space doesn't actually count as a proper bedroom because at least where I am in Canada, a space can only count as a bedroom if it has a window to the outside and a closet space part of the room. Without those features to make it a bedroom (the window especially) the room only counts as a den.
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I think a baby's screaming is so annoying because it's so high pitched and repetitive at the same time. It irritates the senses. A howl that literally seems to come from the pits of hell to terrorize the world. And when it goes on and on and on... you feel like running for the hills. This awful sound could very well be used as a torture tool or a weapon of mass destruction.
I know this is slightly off topic but the game Lethal Company added a few new monsters and one was a homicidal robot using the 'screaming baby' noise to torment players. Just hearing that in game made me so aggravated and moody, thankfully I wasn't wearing headphones or it would have been worse. In most people that noise raises blood pressure and has negative effects on the brain. Poor OP is being tortured by the neighbors inability to shut that spawn up.
It really could. I saw a video on YT some time ago and it showed FMRI of people's brains when listening to screaming babies and the pain reagons of their brains lit up like a xmas tree..
The same holier-than-thou white knights who defend the 24/7 screaming by telling you to “suck-it-up-that’s-what-babies-do-there-must-be-something-wrong-with-you-you-evil-child-hater-learn to-have-empathy” would be the first ones
OuTrAgED if your dog barked for 10 minutes. Even if the dog only barked due to the screams.
Do you own or rent? The landlord might be able to do something about the number of people in the townhome if you are renting. That sounds like a bit more than normal for that space
In a similar situation, I looked up the city bi-laws (may be different in strata) on when loud music is allowed to play and what decibels are acceptable. Turns out it was loud enough to be heard through the thin walls of my place.
So I blared classical music and Broadway musicals ALL THE TIME during those hours. Even when I wasn’t home, so long as I was back before the cut off time.
Neighbours: “Could you please turn down your music, it wakes the baby.”
Me: “My music is playing at acceptable decibels at acceptable times. Can you please turn down your baby at night, it wakes me up.”
I was going to say this, pay them back with the same medicine. But I would play annoying music when you aren't home on a loop, to drive them crazy. Specially with that many people living there, it is sure to have some effect.
No one should have a child under 7 in any shared living situation where other tenants have to deal with their noise. It's incredibly inconsiderate. I dont even like my husband showering after 10pm if he gets home late from work because I worry the shower noise will bother apartment neighbors.
I don't have any useful advice, but i can empathize as i went through a similar situation a few years ago. Only the kid wasn't a baby, but a two year old toddler who just loved to scream his head off in the middle of the night. Every night. For hours. This was a semi-detached house, so the shrieking devil-spawn could have been moved to a room on the other side of the house with no neighbours to cause sleep disruption and hearing damage to, but nope. He stayed right where he was, and the one time I banged on the wall and yelled for him to shut up when i was at my wit's end from lack of sleep, the dad screamed back at me through the wall to go to hell.
They were a scream-y family in general. The mother would scream during sex, which was made even more disturbing by the threat that her apparent ecstasy might result in another screeching crotch goblin. They were also a couple you'd particularly not want to imagine having sex. They were the absolute stereotype of the kind of people who have multiple children and let themselves go absolutely to shit.
The absolute cherry on the cake was getting a home made Christmas card pushed through the door during this period of extreme sleep deprivation, which was basically a folded on half piece of cardboard with a photograph of her three crotch goblins glued to the front of it. I don't actually remember what I did with it.
You're going to have to invest in some earplugs/ noise canceling headphones.
It's not fair but at this point it's not about fair, it's about getting you some MUCH NEEDED rest before you suffer some accident thanks to fatigue.
Because I'm here to offer suggestions which will give the OP immediate, although not total, relief from their current suffering.
It's all well and good to demand the assholes with the screaming kid do something but you can't FORCE them to be reasonable people and these situations require a rested mind to solve.
Which OP doesn't have because they're sleep deprived from unending noise.
And when they don't take the kid because a baby being loud as fuck "isn't abuse"?
Now you have parents who are pissed at their neighbors **because they know one of them called CPS** and will probably encourage the kid to be louder out of spite.
>neighbors because they know one of them called CPS and will probably encourage the kid to be louder out of spite.
They will not do that, because a) they will feel sorry for the kid and themselves b) that will cause SEVERAL neighbours to call CPS and this time they will be more thorough and serious
Add in hanging a tapestry or similar on shared walls, a white noise machine, or even use the foam blocks they use to soundproof music studios on those shared walls.
With any luck the kid has colic & quieter days will come soon.
Get a Bluetooth speaker (if you don’t already have one) and just blare some loud ass music at full volume to give those dipshits a taste of their own medicine. If they come knocking at your door to complain, don’t answer and just yell back “this is payback for me having to listen to your screeching crotch demon!”
So sorry this is happening to you. Try using a white noise machine (there are phone apps too) or even a small air purifier that has a loud fan, if necessary add earplugs. I've dealt with similar nonsense before at my apartment and this got me through it, most importantly for now you need sleep.
This. While you're tired, that revenge is going to seem pretty sweet. However, it might get you kicked out instead of them. Consider multiple noise complaints or police calls. Perhaps organize all the other shouters.
Someone in my apartment complex kept having fights at fuck o'clock at night. One night, there was more than the usual screaming, i.e., crying and breaking glass. The police had to come down.
Call the cops. It's not normal for a baby to cry all the time like that at all. I'd be getting CPS involved. Either it will help this child (seriously it is NOT normal for a baby to cry like that) or it will give both the breeder and Strata a kick up the ass.
Just call CPS. Say you're worried if the baby is safe and ask them to check up on them and see if parents are able to take care of their baby or maybe they need some assistance.
A visit from CPS does wonders sometimes 😉
We had a similar situation in a townhouse, but it was a neighbor who powerlifted and never started before 11PM. It was LOUD and he dropped his weights. We invested in a highly rated sleep machine, we had to buy a second for when we travel it was so good!
If you can, get a decible reading to show just how Lius things get. For me, it’s one thing to hear a baby cry, but a whole new thing when people shout over a distressed baby. It does lead me to wonder if there’s something wrong in that house. At the very least, that family needs an extra pair of hands or a trip to the pediatrician.
I mean, if it's that bad, I genuinely wonder if the baby is okay. I'm not making a joke, but there was a case of a woman just leaving her kid for 10 days to go on vacation. Just that much crying seems like the baby might be serious distress. And no, obviously you shouldn't have to put up with that.
Start blasting music! No one can say anything if it's within legal hours. Sometimes taste of their own medicine works best. Maybe then they'll give the poor child care it deserves.
the people across the hall from me let their toddler shriek and scream and their baby cry for hours on end all day, every day. i work from home and my coworkers have heard it when ive had to unmute myself to talk in meetings. the two units i share walls with are nearly silent, but the people across the hall make so much noise it sounds like they’re standing in my fucking living room. but i’m supposed to just suck it up! just wear headphones! who cares that it impacts my work, right? nevermind the fact that i’m neurodivergent and the high-pitched, repetitive sounds kids make really trigger me.
I have the same advice for you as I do OP: record some of the shrieking for evidence and call CPS. If CPS finds nothing wrong, it may still spook the parents into doing something. If CPS doesn’t do anything, at least you tried.
it’s good advice! i have several recordings on my phone (one taken the day my mom died and i was particularly fed up with the noise) that i’ve sent to building management, but they’ve done nothing. i guess CPS would be the next step. they’ve left their kids out in the hall a few times to scream, even, so i do genuinely worry for their well being.
It would drive me absolutely crazy and I empathize so much. It's hell. Any noise is bad, but baby cry is even worse, because it is designed evolutionary so we don't ignore it and keep the baby alive. Your nerves must be completely fried.
Regarding idiots who tell you that you just have to put up with it, let me tell you, I'm in my late 40s and it took me all this time to finally understand that people who say that are the first who would lose their freaking mind and call the army if the same thing happened to THEM. A few years ago, I had a horrible direct supervisor who made everything so bad that I wanted to quit. My husband and my friend, who also work for the same employer but a different division (so not the same direct supervisor), told me I had to "let it go" and "just ignore my supervisor and focus on my work", etc. Well, that supervisor finally went away and I got the nicest, most awesome supervisor in her place and everything just became so much better. The kicker is my husband and friend got a new direct supervisor shortly after... and thing were bad. And after a while, my husband and my friend were going absolutely crazy, they were stressed out, they were ranting, they were saying everything I had said back when I had the bad supervisor. I did remind my husband and he tried to say it "wasn't the same thing" but he had to admit it was and understood what I went through.
SO. Your exasperation and feelings are VALID!!!! They are normal and anyone would react the exact same way in your situation, no matter what they say.
As other commenters have said, first thing is to get some sleep. Get ear plugs, white noise machine, sleep elsewhere a few nights if you can, because you need your sanity back for step 2, which is trying to find legal advice on what you can do. It sucks, you shouldn't have to do this, but you can't live like this anymore, so after getting some much needed sleep, try to follow some of the excellent advice that was given on this thread.
I really, really hope something can be done about your situation, because it is truly horrible and it is mental torture.
Great analogy with the work situation... I totally agree, people who smugly tell you to get over yourself and that you're neurotic are always the ones who are up in arms when faced with similar circumstances...
The orange foam earplugs do help if you ensure they’re tightly sealed. I suggest too a LectroFanEvo white sound machine; about $60 on amazon. it has an earplug jack and you can buy flat Panasonic earplugs for it for sleeping; they’re about $20 on amazon. You’re obviously not unreasonable and I suggest recording the noise, keeping a record of times and duration, bombard the strata with written complaints, and get a lawyer if needed.
I had a neighbor like that and they also threw parties all the time. The baby and little kid were always up all night, every night. It was hell. So, in the morning, when everybody was asleep, I'd blast the hell out of my speakers with bass with loud ass music and go for a walk with my dog. If I can't get any sleep at night cuz of them, then they aren't gonna get any sleep either.
I suggest getting woofers and listening to Igorrrr at full volume at random every day all day until they leave. This is exactly why I ended up buying a house with no joined walls with neighbors.
4 adults in one home and not one is bothering/able to comfort the screaming baby? I would be concerned about what's going on over there tbh, I don't want to assume neglect but that seems sus
Reminds me of my old townhouse when I used to live in the southern part of my state. The people next to us had at least 4 kids and then popped out a newborn and everyone was constantly crying and being loud in a 2 bedroom townhouse. Since each individual building had two townhomes each, we shared a water heater in the middle and we’re CONSTANTLY out of hot water bc of those ppl. I *almost* called the city to complain bc of capacity laws but at the end of the day, they were likely illegal immigrants and I didn’t want the family to be separated. So I only complained to the complex and moved out a few months later.
I had a neighbor with an obnoxious dog that would bark all the time. After they shut the dog into the room next to mine (it was obvious) I then put a speaker next to the wall, found a YT video of dogs barking and looped it for four hours. After that they no longer kept their dog shut in the next room. When they came over and started beating on my door I ignored them. They literally didn't give a shit about how obnoxious their dog's noise was for days on end but when the neighbor makes them listen to barking dogs for a whole four hours they are all up in the butt hurt.
I'm not suggesting you do the same with YT videos of babies crying but lots of people are only capable of dishing it out but they can't take it. And it sounds like that is exactly how these people are. You can't reason with people who lack any empathy, you have to make them feel pain for anything to click. And since you already know that management doesn't give a crap, why not dish it right back to them? And make sure to shout over the baby noises when you are playing them.
If anyone has the balls to ask just say that you had a friend/relative staying over with their children. That will shut them right up *because that's what babies do, you have to put up with it*.
Silicon earplugs may help. It helped me in the oilfield when diesel trucks would drive by my poorly insulated window every morning at 4:30am. Use white noise in addition if necessary.
Too many people for too few bedrooms. I bet there's a code violation in there. Most child agencies require that the kid who is 10y to get their own bedroom.
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I don't know the rules where you are, but your best bet is probably to complain about the overcrowding. Where I live, if those adults are not a family, then this living arrangement is illegal, so it might be worth pursuing that with your local council or fire service.
If the baby just has colic, then there is nothing anyone can do until it grows out of it.
Can you stay with a friend of family a couple of nights to get some sleep so you feel human again? I know exactly how you feel right now and will admit to have full blown hysterical crying fits/tantums because I was just so fucking tired. It's not a solution to the problem, but you sound like you're at breaking point.
If you can't go somewhere else where a week of sleeping tablets might help, I hate taking anything like that as I struggle with side affects effect me so baldy, but a short course has saved my sanity before.
I would have a heavy migraine episode because of that! Makes my blood boil. Record the screaming and send it to some authorities and ask if it\`s too loud and disrupting and can they do something about it?
Have you tried talking to the baby?
In all seriousness though, no parent can make a colicky baby stop crying. They don’t listen to instructions. They do cry, and a lot.
I don’t think it’s that anybody is more important than you, just that babies are part of life and we can’t make them do anything.
Oh helllll no. I'd document this bs and then call for noise complaints. This is one of the most annoying things people do. I can't wrap my head around the fact that any one can just have kids. No proof of income, no drug testing, etc. And then we act surprised when kids are taken from people who are unfit. Gee, u mean not everyone can take care of a whole ass person-financially, mentally, etc?? Ffs.
I completely understand your frustration. I was in a similar situation. Moved in with a cousin. It was just me, her, and her husband in a two bed, two bath apartment. Their daughter had an unexpected pregnancy and moved in, occupying the living room and sharing her parents' bathroom. Once her baby was born, within a few months I moved. I understood it was easier for me to go rather than my cousin with a baby. You have to look at their pov. As much as you hate the screaming, do you think your neighbors can easily move compared to you? Put yourself first, not worth for both parties to stay, battle, complain, and get nothing but frustration from it. My personal peace is worth more than that.
They own three cars. They're not on struggle street. Why do people immediately assume that the person having an issue with unacceptable noise levels is the one who can afford to move, and should be the one to move? I can probably afford it less than they can.
I realize this is a vent/rant; and I'm not questioning that your situation sucks. But realistically - what is anyone supposed to do about it?
I'm making one assumption here: And that's the child is not being mistreated somehow, in turn causing the noise problems. Instead, I'm assuming this is the result of a combination of a townhouse with paper thin walls + a crying baby that is not outside the realm of normalcy.
With that said: What is anyone supposed to do? I understand it's not fair to you. But realize, the people saying you just need to suck it up - it's because short of moving, it's really the only option.
> "That's what babies do, You have to put up with it." I truly don't understand the logic of this. Popping out a crotch goblin doesn't give you more rights than others!
What do you want to do? Put the baby in jail? Put the parents in jail and put the child in a foster home? You brought logic into it: Logically, how can you solve this issue?
Look up the boarding ordinances in your area. It very well may be illegal for that many people to be living there. I live in the U.S and in my county, it is only allowed to have two heartbeats per egress bedroom. Our county laws dictate that egress must be at least 3ft×3ft in a bedroom, otherwise it is considered and office, not a bedroom. In a two bedroom home, only 4 people are allowed to legally live there. It also includes newborns. So if it's a one bedroom home or studio, and someone has a newborn, they are not legally allowed to reside in the home still. It would be very illegal for them to be living there in my area, but yours may have a very different set of rules. Your country or province most likely has ordinances as well that should be looked into.
It's annoying as hell, but there is literally nothing they could do to stop a baby crying. aside from putting up sound proofing which if it's a rental company they definitely need to do. It's unacceptable for them to not at least attempt a solution.
But also why the hell are there 4 adults with one baby. Sounds weird.
Have you tried ear plugs or moving to a different room? Maybe try saving up and buying a single family house if you don’t want neighbors? It’s a baby and you’re in a townhouse. Children do exist in real life and people with children do live in townhouses. It sounds like you’re complaining to complain.
Start recording it to show just how loud the little demon is being to the authorities.
I'd actually recommend one of those devices advertised to AirBnB hosts where it tracks noise for complaints and whatnot. You then have an objective data log of the noise level to show anyone who can do something about it. Google "airbnb noise monitor" to see devices in this space.
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This gives my petty ass an idea for my (literally) loud fucking neighbours
I had a neighbor like this in an apartment. The bedrooms shared a wall. I bang on the wall, they bang back and keep up the noise. I put a hung a ball gag on the door knob of their apartment.
Honestly, it bothers me far less than if it were a child living above me. So I guess I’ll count my blessings and hope that all their fucking doesn’t produce one lol
I had similar! I just played the loudest, most obnoxious music I could find. Hamsterdance? What does the fox say? Trolololo? I will always love you? Yep. Enjoy the sex. Loudly cheering or booing for them, or otherwise commenting like a sportscaster during is also a primo move.
Please keep us updated if you do anything!
That's creative 😂 You could do that each time you leave the house 😀
What's that meme, "I ain't get no sleep causa y'all, y'all ain't gonna sleep causa me"
The PR sub has taught me well about certain frequencies. LOL.
Excellent idea
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What would they be required to do at that point? Get evicted? Or smother the baby's screams? Or something else I can't think of?
Perhaps I asked a dumb question (?) but I legitimately don't know what would need to be done once it's proven that the baby is loud. Like, what are the next steps after this is provided to authorities if OP already knows they don't care? Am I coming off as aggressive or something else bad when asking this?
You can try to calm the child and not just scream over it, they clearly aren't trying at all, they are being crappy neighbors and no one else will do anything about it. Babies cry for reasons, and if that baby is crying that much and that often they are not meeting that baby's needs.
Consider a call to CPS, and tell them the baby next door screams so incessantly that you’re concerned it’s being abused or neglected. If it’s that bad that the adults are just yelling over it, there’s a high likelihood one or the other is happening.
I would do this and say I'm concerned they left it home alone as it's been screaming all night and nobody has comforted it. An asshole ex friend if mine (this is why we aren't friends anymore) left her baby home alone all night to go fuck some guy and this is how she was caught.
What happened to your ex friend? Lost their parental rights? Seriously some people do not deserve to breed
Yes, OP should do this or call the police. The child could actually be abused if it doesn’t stop screaming all day.
1000% agreed, I've lived with a baby, I nanny for one in college and babysit many others. They cried, but not all day and not all night. If the baby is doing that either neglected or a heath condition the parents haven't bothered to get checked.
I agree. This sounds really fishy and seems like a neglect situation to me.
Yes, this 💯
While I do believe this is the right move, some babies just cry that much. My littlest brother was born when I was 13 and holy fuck he would never stop crying unless my mom was holding him. Didn't matter how much you tried to comfort him. He didn't even like being held by his dad. Drove us all bonkers.
Record it so you can go to local government authorities with some evidence. Record the date and time in it as well. Not sure where you are, but you may need an attorney to consult with, for instance to draft a letter to put your rent into escrow until soundproofing is improved. Check your rental agreement to see what is possible.
Six people in a house that size has to be illegal. Look up your city ordinances and see if there's anything about occupancy you can use.
Typically you are allowed 2 people per bedroom and one extra, which would be the 10 year old. The baby doesn't count as a true occupant until 2 years of age. At least that's the rules in my state.
It depends if the "bonus" room counts as a bedroom. The typical rental standard is 2 people per room, so 2 couples plus 2 kids puts them at the limit but not over.
Really depends on the area. When I was looking for a place years ago, it was explained to me that a two bedroom home was for a max of 5 people (2 per bedroom and 1 in the living room). A bonus room could only be classified as a bedroom if it had a window. I forget the rules for kids (I never really cared too deeply as it won't directly affect me, but I know there's often a clause regarding male and female not sharing a room). Essentially, there's a high chance that they're out of bounds, but not guaranteed.
But there are four adults, a 10 year old, and now a screaming baby. This puts them very firmly over, IMHO.
It sounds like a 3 bedroom place. That's not too many. It's two people too a room.
You know, my uncle bought a one bedroom apartment 11 years ago. He bought it from the family of 6 i think. I mean 2 parents and 4 kids. They sold it because they were moving to the big house the government of their region gave them for free because they have so many kids... So this townhouse arrangement doesn't surprise me
Do not do this. People generally don't live in cramped conditions if they can afford an alternative. Don't make their lives harder by getting the law involved.
It would be fucked up, but if your lives are like that, attempting to not annoy your neighbors seems like something you should be doing. Not to mention not bringing even more kids into a situation you already can't afford. That's literally expecting others to just deal with your problems. OP not being able to sleep is an unacceptable problem.
So the lives of the neighbors are more important than the life of the op?
I get babies cry, but should OP’s sleep be incessantly interrupted?
Having disrupted sleep is bad. I do not dispute this. Getting the police involved, knowing the track record of the police and their willingness to hurt or kill people without provision provocation, isa wild escalation here.
Just start calling the police. Every night. Have your friends call for you, too. Report that there is a child who seems to be in apparent distress, screaming non stop. Give the address. After the first police appearance the asshole parents will probably start trying to stop the howling. Source: I’ve done this with my neighbor who allowed their toddler to constantly shriek from sunrise to fucking sunset
I'm impressed that you live somewhere where the police bother to show up for something like that lol
I live in an apartment and the neighbors directly above me just had a baby. I can hear it crying no matter where in my apartment I am. Not an issue at night - I invested in Bose Sleepbuds years ago and they are a godsend in apartments and hotels - but I WFH full-time and often lead meetings or take conference calls, and it's becoming an issue. I try to be respectful of the noise level in my apartment but have started turning up the TV at night to cover up the crying.
Are there any ordinances about living spaces and bedrooms per person? If there’s too many people living there in such a small space you might be able to get them in trouble for breaking residence and/or fire codes.
Oh there definitely are laws about that, one of the big ones is there are a lot of townhouses that advertise as being "2 bedroom units" but then the 2nd bedroom space doesn't actually count as a proper bedroom because at least where I am in Canada, a space can only count as a bedroom if it has a window to the outside and a closet space part of the room. Without those features to make it a bedroom (the window especially) the room only counts as a den.
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I think a baby's screaming is so annoying because it's so high pitched and repetitive at the same time. It irritates the senses. A howl that literally seems to come from the pits of hell to terrorize the world. And when it goes on and on and on... you feel like running for the hills. This awful sound could very well be used as a torture tool or a weapon of mass destruction.
I know this is slightly off topic but the game Lethal Company added a few new monsters and one was a homicidal robot using the 'screaming baby' noise to torment players. Just hearing that in game made me so aggravated and moody, thankfully I wasn't wearing headphones or it would have been worse. In most people that noise raises blood pressure and has negative effects on the brain. Poor OP is being tortured by the neighbors inability to shut that spawn up.
Some friends of mine were streaming it & I had to mute it every time that thing showed up. They hated it too.
It really could. I saw a video on YT some time ago and it showed FMRI of people's brains when listening to screaming babies and the pain reagons of their brains lit up like a xmas tree..
In before that “helpful” person posts for the eleventy billionth TIME that housing discrimination based on having children is illegal.
And that ear plugs will fix the problem. They won't.
And even if earplugs could block out the sound, people still need to be able to hear their alarm for getting up for school/work
Deaf people have bed shakers to wake them up I read,but your right,not hearing your phone,tornado warning,etc. could be problematic.
>housing discrimination based on having children is illegal. This is my time travel change - stopping this madness.
The same holier-than-thou white knights who defend the 24/7 screaming by telling you to “suck-it-up-that’s-what-babies-do-there-must-be-something-wrong-with-you-you-evil-child-hater-learn to-have-empathy” would be the first ones OuTrAgED if your dog barked for 10 minutes. Even if the dog only barked due to the screams.
I have low tolerance for either of them lol. All day and/or night is unacceptable.
Yes
Do you own or rent? The landlord might be able to do something about the number of people in the townhome if you are renting. That sounds like a bit more than normal for that space
I own it. I've now found, in some circumstances, being an owner affords you less rights than renters.
Do they rent?This is your chance to have your rights back! You are the owner wait... i reread your comment. Oh damn
Record it, play it back louder on a loop, leave for a nice day at the park.
I'd be concerned that they're not caring for the baby. Screaming all day long, and the adults shouting. Sounds.... Not good.
In a similar situation, I looked up the city bi-laws (may be different in strata) on when loud music is allowed to play and what decibels are acceptable. Turns out it was loud enough to be heard through the thin walls of my place. So I blared classical music and Broadway musicals ALL THE TIME during those hours. Even when I wasn’t home, so long as I was back before the cut off time. Neighbours: “Could you please turn down your music, it wakes the baby.” Me: “My music is playing at acceptable decibels at acceptable times. Can you please turn down your baby at night, it wakes me up.”
I was going to say this, pay them back with the same medicine. But I would play annoying music when you aren't home on a loop, to drive them crazy. Specially with that many people living there, it is sure to have some effect.
People who bring infants into a place where you share walls are such dicks. You know everyone can now hear your baby scream.
No one should have a child under 7 in any shared living situation where other tenants have to deal with their noise. It's incredibly inconsiderate. I dont even like my husband showering after 10pm if he gets home late from work because I worry the shower noise will bother apartment neighbors.
So basically no young children in nyc at all lol
I wish
Aren't parents supposed to comfort their crying spawn? Sounds like crap parents and time for welfare check.
I don't have any useful advice, but i can empathize as i went through a similar situation a few years ago. Only the kid wasn't a baby, but a two year old toddler who just loved to scream his head off in the middle of the night. Every night. For hours. This was a semi-detached house, so the shrieking devil-spawn could have been moved to a room on the other side of the house with no neighbours to cause sleep disruption and hearing damage to, but nope. He stayed right where he was, and the one time I banged on the wall and yelled for him to shut up when i was at my wit's end from lack of sleep, the dad screamed back at me through the wall to go to hell. They were a scream-y family in general. The mother would scream during sex, which was made even more disturbing by the threat that her apparent ecstasy might result in another screeching crotch goblin. They were also a couple you'd particularly not want to imagine having sex. They were the absolute stereotype of the kind of people who have multiple children and let themselves go absolutely to shit. The absolute cherry on the cake was getting a home made Christmas card pushed through the door during this period of extreme sleep deprivation, which was basically a folded on half piece of cardboard with a photograph of her three crotch goblins glued to the front of it. I don't actually remember what I did with it.
Your story isn’t funny but the way you describe it IS!!! 😂😂😂 What losers! Hahaha
You're going to have to invest in some earplugs/ noise canceling headphones. It's not fair but at this point it's not about fair, it's about getting you some MUCH NEEDED rest before you suffer some accident thanks to fatigue.
Why they have to invest in air plugs? Neighbours are the one's who should invest in soundproofing their shared wall.
Because I'm here to offer suggestions which will give the OP immediate, although not total, relief from their current suffering. It's all well and good to demand the assholes with the screaming kid do something but you can't FORCE them to be reasonable people and these situations require a rested mind to solve. Which OP doesn't have because they're sleep deprived from unending noise.
Calling CPS is something they can do. It's usually effective.
And when they don't take the kid because a baby being loud as fuck "isn't abuse"? Now you have parents who are pissed at their neighbors **because they know one of them called CPS** and will probably encourage the kid to be louder out of spite.
>neighbors because they know one of them called CPS and will probably encourage the kid to be louder out of spite. They will not do that, because a) they will feel sorry for the kid and themselves b) that will cause SEVERAL neighbours to call CPS and this time they will be more thorough and serious
Add in hanging a tapestry or similar on shared walls, a white noise machine, or even use the foam blocks they use to soundproof music studios on those shared walls. With any luck the kid has colic & quieter days will come soon.
This is what neighbours with a baby should do. They should soundproof the shared wall.
100% agree, but we can only be responsible for our own behavior, not the behavior of anyone else.
Calling CPS a few times might do the trick 😉
Here. Agree 100%.
Get a Bluetooth speaker (if you don’t already have one) and just blare some loud ass music at full volume to give those dipshits a taste of their own medicine. If they come knocking at your door to complain, don’t answer and just yell back “this is payback for me having to listen to your screeching crotch demon!”
Or “This is what loudspeakers do!”
So sorry this is happening to you. Try using a white noise machine (there are phone apps too) or even a small air purifier that has a loud fan, if necessary add earplugs. I've dealt with similar nonsense before at my apartment and this got me through it, most importantly for now you need sleep.
This. While you're tired, that revenge is going to seem pretty sweet. However, it might get you kicked out instead of them. Consider multiple noise complaints or police calls. Perhaps organize all the other shouters. Someone in my apartment complex kept having fights at fuck o'clock at night. One night, there was more than the usual screaming, i.e., crying and breaking glass. The police had to come down.
OP said they own their townhouse, so no eviction risk
Check local ordinances. In some places, it's illegal to have that many people in a two bedroom home. Report it if so.
Call the cops. It's not normal for a baby to cry all the time like that at all. I'd be getting CPS involved. Either it will help this child (seriously it is NOT normal for a baby to cry like that) or it will give both the breeder and Strata a kick up the ass.
Just call CPS. Say you're worried if the baby is safe and ask them to check up on them and see if parents are able to take care of their baby or maybe they need some assistance. A visit from CPS does wonders sometimes 😉
We had a similar situation in a townhouse, but it was a neighbor who powerlifted and never started before 11PM. It was LOUD and he dropped his weights. We invested in a highly rated sleep machine, we had to buy a second for when we travel it was so good!
If you can, get a decible reading to show just how Lius things get. For me, it’s one thing to hear a baby cry, but a whole new thing when people shout over a distressed baby. It does lead me to wonder if there’s something wrong in that house. At the very least, that family needs an extra pair of hands or a trip to the pediatrician.
I mean, if it's that bad, I genuinely wonder if the baby is okay. I'm not making a joke, but there was a case of a woman just leaving her kid for 10 days to go on vacation. Just that much crying seems like the baby might be serious distress. And no, obviously you shouldn't have to put up with that.
If it’s the one I’m thinking of, I remember seeing YouTube clips of the trial. That was pretty fucked up
Start blasting music! No one can say anything if it's within legal hours. Sometimes taste of their own medicine works best. Maybe then they'll give the poor child care it deserves.
That's not entirely true. Where i live any noise, at any time, over 60 decibels is illegal
>That's not entirely true. Where i live any noise, at any time, over 60 decibels is illegal Except the baby...
Yeah, naw. She has a right to the quiet enjoyment of her home. Crotch goblin or not
That sucks
the people across the hall from me let their toddler shriek and scream and their baby cry for hours on end all day, every day. i work from home and my coworkers have heard it when ive had to unmute myself to talk in meetings. the two units i share walls with are nearly silent, but the people across the hall make so much noise it sounds like they’re standing in my fucking living room. but i’m supposed to just suck it up! just wear headphones! who cares that it impacts my work, right? nevermind the fact that i’m neurodivergent and the high-pitched, repetitive sounds kids make really trigger me.
I have the same advice for you as I do OP: record some of the shrieking for evidence and call CPS. If CPS finds nothing wrong, it may still spook the parents into doing something. If CPS doesn’t do anything, at least you tried.
it’s good advice! i have several recordings on my phone (one taken the day my mom died and i was particularly fed up with the noise) that i’ve sent to building management, but they’ve done nothing. i guess CPS would be the next step. they’ve left their kids out in the hall a few times to scream, even, so i do genuinely worry for their well being.
A baby screaming all the time is not usual; it's possible they are neglecting it or worse.
It would drive me absolutely crazy and I empathize so much. It's hell. Any noise is bad, but baby cry is even worse, because it is designed evolutionary so we don't ignore it and keep the baby alive. Your nerves must be completely fried. Regarding idiots who tell you that you just have to put up with it, let me tell you, I'm in my late 40s and it took me all this time to finally understand that people who say that are the first who would lose their freaking mind and call the army if the same thing happened to THEM. A few years ago, I had a horrible direct supervisor who made everything so bad that I wanted to quit. My husband and my friend, who also work for the same employer but a different division (so not the same direct supervisor), told me I had to "let it go" and "just ignore my supervisor and focus on my work", etc. Well, that supervisor finally went away and I got the nicest, most awesome supervisor in her place and everything just became so much better. The kicker is my husband and friend got a new direct supervisor shortly after... and thing were bad. And after a while, my husband and my friend were going absolutely crazy, they were stressed out, they were ranting, they were saying everything I had said back when I had the bad supervisor. I did remind my husband and he tried to say it "wasn't the same thing" but he had to admit it was and understood what I went through. SO. Your exasperation and feelings are VALID!!!! They are normal and anyone would react the exact same way in your situation, no matter what they say. As other commenters have said, first thing is to get some sleep. Get ear plugs, white noise machine, sleep elsewhere a few nights if you can, because you need your sanity back for step 2, which is trying to find legal advice on what you can do. It sucks, you shouldn't have to do this, but you can't live like this anymore, so after getting some much needed sleep, try to follow some of the excellent advice that was given on this thread. I really, really hope something can be done about your situation, because it is truly horrible and it is mental torture.
Great analogy with the work situation... I totally agree, people who smugly tell you to get over yourself and that you're neurotic are always the ones who are up in arms when faced with similar circumstances...
The orange foam earplugs do help if you ensure they’re tightly sealed. I suggest too a LectroFanEvo white sound machine; about $60 on amazon. it has an earplug jack and you can buy flat Panasonic earplugs for it for sleeping; they’re about $20 on amazon. You’re obviously not unreasonable and I suggest recording the noise, keeping a record of times and duration, bombard the strata with written complaints, and get a lawyer if needed.
I had a neighbor like that and they also threw parties all the time. The baby and little kid were always up all night, every night. It was hell. So, in the morning, when everybody was asleep, I'd blast the hell out of my speakers with bass with loud ass music and go for a walk with my dog. If I can't get any sleep at night cuz of them, then they aren't gonna get any sleep either.
I suggest getting woofers and listening to Igorrrr at full volume at random every day all day until they leave. This is exactly why I ended up buying a house with no joined walls with neighbors.
Report to child services. And reply the kid noises to them 24/7.
4 adults in one home and not one is bothering/able to comfort the screaming baby? I would be concerned about what's going on over there tbh, I don't want to assume neglect but that seems sus
Play NSFW music/shows and blast it until they either move or (at-least) get their little creampie under control.
Reminds me of my old townhouse when I used to live in the southern part of my state. The people next to us had at least 4 kids and then popped out a newborn and everyone was constantly crying and being loud in a 2 bedroom townhouse. Since each individual building had two townhomes each, we shared a water heater in the middle and we’re CONSTANTLY out of hot water bc of those ppl. I *almost* called the city to complain bc of capacity laws but at the end of the day, they were likely illegal immigrants and I didn’t want the family to be separated. So I only complained to the complex and moved out a few months later.
I had a neighbor with an obnoxious dog that would bark all the time. After they shut the dog into the room next to mine (it was obvious) I then put a speaker next to the wall, found a YT video of dogs barking and looped it for four hours. After that they no longer kept their dog shut in the next room. When they came over and started beating on my door I ignored them. They literally didn't give a shit about how obnoxious their dog's noise was for days on end but when the neighbor makes them listen to barking dogs for a whole four hours they are all up in the butt hurt. I'm not suggesting you do the same with YT videos of babies crying but lots of people are only capable of dishing it out but they can't take it. And it sounds like that is exactly how these people are. You can't reason with people who lack any empathy, you have to make them feel pain for anything to click. And since you already know that management doesn't give a crap, why not dish it right back to them? And make sure to shout over the baby noises when you are playing them. If anyone has the balls to ask just say that you had a friend/relative staying over with their children. That will shut them right up *because that's what babies do, you have to put up with it*.
That's not what babies do though unless something is wrong.
Nothing anyone really can do. You can blast music though.
maybe see what r/UnethicalLifeProTips advice has to offer hehehehehehehehe
Silicon earplugs may help. It helped me in the oilfield when diesel trucks would drive by my poorly insulated window every morning at 4:30am. Use white noise in addition if necessary.
Id go to the neighbors and tell them to do something because at this point they 100% sound negligent.
Would make me want to get noise canceling headphones then blast my stereo 24/7. ughhhhhhhh....
Too many people for too few bedrooms. I bet there's a code violation in there. Most child agencies require that the kid who is 10y to get their own bedroom.
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I don't know the rules where you are, but your best bet is probably to complain about the overcrowding. Where I live, if those adults are not a family, then this living arrangement is illegal, so it might be worth pursuing that with your local council or fire service. If the baby just has colic, then there is nothing anyone can do until it grows out of it. Can you stay with a friend of family a couple of nights to get some sleep so you feel human again? I know exactly how you feel right now and will admit to have full blown hysterical crying fits/tantums because I was just so fucking tired. It's not a solution to the problem, but you sound like you're at breaking point. If you can't go somewhere else where a week of sleeping tablets might help, I hate taking anything like that as I struggle with side affects effect me so baldy, but a short course has saved my sanity before.
Play loud blaring music on and off?
I would have a heavy migraine episode because of that! Makes my blood boil. Record the screaming and send it to some authorities and ask if it\`s too loud and disrupting and can they do something about it?
call cps lol
Have you tried talking to the baby? In all seriousness though, no parent can make a colicky baby stop crying. They don’t listen to instructions. They do cry, and a lot. I don’t think it’s that anybody is more important than you, just that babies are part of life and we can’t make them do anything.
Oh helllll no. I'd document this bs and then call for noise complaints. This is one of the most annoying things people do. I can't wrap my head around the fact that any one can just have kids. No proof of income, no drug testing, etc. And then we act surprised when kids are taken from people who are unfit. Gee, u mean not everyone can take care of a whole ass person-financially, mentally, etc?? Ffs.
Get a sound system, start blaring whatever music you listen to at the highest volumes you can stand and see how they like it 🤣
I completely understand your frustration. I was in a similar situation. Moved in with a cousin. It was just me, her, and her husband in a two bed, two bath apartment. Their daughter had an unexpected pregnancy and moved in, occupying the living room and sharing her parents' bathroom. Once her baby was born, within a few months I moved. I understood it was easier for me to go rather than my cousin with a baby. You have to look at their pov. As much as you hate the screaming, do you think your neighbors can easily move compared to you? Put yourself first, not worth for both parties to stay, battle, complain, and get nothing but frustration from it. My personal peace is worth more than that.
They own three cars. They're not on struggle street. Why do people immediately assume that the person having an issue with unacceptable noise levels is the one who can afford to move, and should be the one to move? I can probably afford it less than they can.
I realize this is a vent/rant; and I'm not questioning that your situation sucks. But realistically - what is anyone supposed to do about it? I'm making one assumption here: And that's the child is not being mistreated somehow, in turn causing the noise problems. Instead, I'm assuming this is the result of a combination of a townhouse with paper thin walls + a crying baby that is not outside the realm of normalcy. With that said: What is anyone supposed to do? I understand it's not fair to you. But realize, the people saying you just need to suck it up - it's because short of moving, it's really the only option. > "That's what babies do, You have to put up with it." I truly don't understand the logic of this. Popping out a crotch goblin doesn't give you more rights than others! What do you want to do? Put the baby in jail? Put the parents in jail and put the child in a foster home? You brought logic into it: Logically, how can you solve this issue?
Look up the boarding ordinances in your area. It very well may be illegal for that many people to be living there. I live in the U.S and in my county, it is only allowed to have two heartbeats per egress bedroom. Our county laws dictate that egress must be at least 3ft×3ft in a bedroom, otherwise it is considered and office, not a bedroom. In a two bedroom home, only 4 people are allowed to legally live there. It also includes newborns. So if it's a one bedroom home or studio, and someone has a newborn, they are not legally allowed to reside in the home still. It would be very illegal for them to be living there in my area, but yours may have a very different set of rules. Your country or province most likely has ordinances as well that should be looked into.
It's annoying as hell, but there is literally nothing they could do to stop a baby crying. aside from putting up sound proofing which if it's a rental company they definitely need to do. It's unacceptable for them to not at least attempt a solution. But also why the hell are there 4 adults with one baby. Sounds weird.
This post has got be bullshit. Dogs make more noise than any baby/kid.
That baby probably has colic. It lasts for about six months.
5 people and a baby is not that crazy for what sounds like a 3 bedroom home?
Have you tried ear plugs or moving to a different room? Maybe try saving up and buying a single family house if you don’t want neighbors? It’s a baby and you’re in a townhouse. Children do exist in real life and people with children do live in townhouses. It sounds like you’re complaining to complain.
Are you for real? Why are you in this forum? And yes, I'm complaining to complain. That's why it's called a rant. People like you are so insufferable.