Noisy children

[Peckhampam]

Does anyone have any ideas how I can deal with having any nice summer day in the garden spoilt by the noise of my next door neighbours. I am not taking about the normal noise of children playing; my neighbour on the other side has brought up a family and fostered children and there have been no problems. What is a problem is the continuous ear shattering screeching of the children. It is no good appealing to the parents - they are noisy and the father is as bad as the children when he plays with them - encouraging them to get over excited. The only time I asked the parents to modify the behaviour of the children I was abused and do not relish that happening again. My only idea is noise cancelling headphones, but that does not seem very pleasant on a hot day. Any other strategies I could try?

[JoeLeg]

Move house.

[Peckhampam]

Useful suggestion

[JoeLeg]

Well, you live in an area where noisy children are the norm. You say you were abused when you raised the issue but telling people their kids are too loud is never going to go down well (then again you have a strident opinion on six year olds riding bikes near you so I'm wondering if this is a pattern).

Bluntly if your neighbours are reasonable people then approving them reasonably should yield results. If not then either they aren't being reasonable, or you aren't, or both.

And thus I refer the honourable poster to my earlier reply.

[Chick]

20 watts of ultra sound at about 22khz coming out of loudspeakers in your garden should do it.

[JoeLeg]

Good point. Fight fire with fire; I like it.

[Robert Poste's Child]

Peckhampam, I feel for you, I really do. Unfortunately it sounds like the parents are the real problem - the kids are just copying them, as they do, and either the parents don't realise how their behaviour might affect other people or they don't care. Are there any neighbours on the other side or close by you could have a word with? If you're not the only one having a problem you could combine forces perhaps. Otherwise it's triple glazing, earplugs and headphones.

On the bright side, it's better than if they were late teens or twenties - the blessing of young kids is the screeching generally stops by early evening.

Best of luck.

[NewWave]

I'd play music in my garden to blank them out.

I also can't stand screeching children but I'd never say anything to the parents because I'm damn sure I too screeched as a kid and to the parents ears it isn't annoying its just what kids do and not worth falling out with them over.

[Jules-and-Boo]

I agree with New Wave. You won't get them to be quiet, you'll just end up with bad relationships with the neighbours - so it's best not to go there.

Take the radio out into the garden or get some little ear phones and listen to something that you like.

Or look at it another way - when it's even hotter on Monday, they'll be at nursery or school.....

[flocker spotter]

Children outside playing, having fun and making noise - hurrah!

So much better than those who remain inside glued to screens.

I am sure occasionally it gets a bit much, but surely not enough to get all passive aggressive over.

[Seabag]

If you focus on the noise (I often do, it gets too much) then it helps to reboot your hearing a bit, with ear plugs.

I have tinnitus and use these in busy places, to soften the blow of overwhelming sounds.

It's a pretty good low-tech solution

http://www.boots.com/boots-swimming-earplugs-2-pairs-with-carry-case-10114107 (I use the kids ones as they're More comfortable. I carry them wherever I go)

[Sue]

I have put up with screeching and screaming children (in another road, not mine) for years and I have had enough too.

They are out in the garden really early and wake me up through double glazed acoustic glass.

Sometimes with loud adults too, presumably parents.

I am really glad someone else has raised this as I'm really not sure what if anything I can do about it :(

I have had to change the room where I had my office as my heart sank every afternoon when presumably school or nursery was over and they came home to screech :(

ETA I know they are disturbing other neighbours in their road as well.

I am a mother and grandmother, and I know kids scream and screech, but before 8am on a Sunday morning as happened once is just bloody antisocial.

Do the parents not notice when they open the kitchen doors and let the kids out that the rest of the neighbourhood is really quiet?

[uncleglen]

as my 40 year old next door neighbour said- god gave me a mouth I'm going to use it!!

[Sue]

Started before 7.45 this morning.

Admittedly I have the window open this weather, which doesn't help.

[yeknomyeknom]

I have a young child. Like all, he can be noisy. He gets up at 6am but I don't let him in our garden until after 9am regardless of weather. It's not perfect but I am mindful of my neighbours. Some people just aren't. It's just a difference In manners and social responsibility I think. 7.45am is just not polite on their part.