This is a tricky situation and I can see both sides.
Hopefully they’ve been able to work it out.

Perhaps you need to try and take the higher road.
Perhaps ask them to put a red card up in the window when bub is asleep and if they make sure yo remove it when bub is awake then the kids can watch this and play when bub is awake

I can see both sides – it’s vital to balance consideration for your kids’ recreational activities with the respect due to your neighbours’ needs. While you’ve provided designated hours for play, the noise might still be disruptive. Perhaps having an open conversation with your neighbours, addressing the timing and the level of noise, could lead to finding a middle ground that suits both parties. A dialogue aimed at finding a mutual agreement might be a helpful step toward resolving the situation amicably.

Sounds like you’re being a little vindictive yourself. If you want to get on with your neighbors have a sit down with them and perhaps compromise. The basketball sound can echo, ask the kids to use the basketball between 4-6 when the baby is not sleeping. Or similar. The baby won’t be a baby forever but your neighbors you may have for a long time and some people have loooong memories.

You can empathize to both sides. I do think it’s absolutely fine to let kids play in their own back yards. My mum would just make sure we weren’t being maniacs; no kicking balls against the colour bond (what a terrible sound), and no outright screaming and yelling. Hope the neighbours can get a white noise machine and settle the baby.

Mmmm this is tricky. I can see both sides. Though having lived next to a basketball bouncer, I totally get the noise of it. It has a deeper sound That is actually really loud. I am someone with sound sensitivities so I probably wouldn’t cope with that noise.

I can understand both sides, however children playing in their own backyard is reasonable in my opinion.

I think the neighbour is being unreasonable. Kids need to be outside playing & babies need to learn to sleep with noises going on around them

I don’t think the mum is unreasonable. Those are perfectly fair hours for kids to be outside. We all – including babies – need to learn to live with a bit of noise.

They are being unreasonable! Your original request has clearly stayed with them and I would say they are being vindictive about it. Unfortunately I think you will constantly have tensions with this neighbour. Kids will be kids. Unless they are constantly screaming or using bad language kids should be free to play.

This is a bit too much, if you want 0 noise you can live in the middle of nowhere.

What an awful situation to be in. You’d always be on tenterhooks when your kids played outside, I would feel like that anyway.

I can’t believe how calm you were when they didn’t comply to your wishes when your kids were babies. Why don’t they put their baby on the opposite side of your house to reduce the disruption?

The time limits are reasonable and more considerate than your neighbours were before they had a baby! Pot calling the kettle black much? Also, I find it hard to believe the sound of a ball bouncing would wake a baby who is inside a house. My kids used to sleep through a vacuum in the same room.

Kids are meant to be enjoying the outdoors. The baby next door needs noise its normal. I use to vacuum and have music playing when my babies were having a sleep.

If you explained that they have time limits I think that is reasonable.

I think your times are more than reasonable.

Our neighbours are at times pretty loud too in the evning. Although it annoys me when it keeps me out of sleep, I just suck it up

My neighbour is a mechanic and is exceptionally loud especially when my boys were babies. And my other neighbours had dogs that barked all day and night. But my boys got through it. They are used to it now. You can’t stop everyone from making noise.

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  • • mom93821 replied
    • 27 Sep 2023 , 5:33 am

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  We had extremely noisy neighbours for many years; it happens in suburbia and even in rural settings. Best to find strategies that work for sleep.

It is delightful to read that children are outside playing and not inside. It is so healthy to run around and play outside for so many reasons. The times for outside play seem reasonable.