Neighbor Leaves Note About Crying Baby Next Door, Internet Divided

A post about a neighbor's mistaken noise complaint—accusing a resident of having a crying baby, despite the fact that they don't have a child—has gone viral on Reddit.

The post, shared by u/Dependent_Bag_7254 in the r/Apartmentliving subreddit, has received more than 18,000 upvotes since being posted on February 6.

The note from the neighbor reads: "Please be more considerate of those around you. The leasing office has instructed us to call the police if she [the baby] keeps screaming during quiet hours. Does anyone want to deal with that? I don't."

In a caption shared with the post, u/Dependent_Bag_7254 described their ongoing frustration with the neighbor, writing: "Nasty neighbor has knocked on our door and now leaving notes over a baby crying … I don't have a baby!! This neighbor seems to keep complaining about noise but the noise is all around us! What would y'all do about a neighbor knocking on door and leaving notes like this??"

The incident highlights common disputes in apartment buildings, where sound can easily carry between units.

In a September 2017 survey of 2,000 American adults conducted by market research firm OnePoll for Homes.com, noise topped the ranking of things that lead Americans to argue with a neighbor.

The survey found that a quarter of Americans had a "long-running feud" with a person living next door to them, while 36 percent were found to have had issues that escalated to "full-blown arguments."

Etiquette expert Jo Hayes told Newsweek that the situation in the Reddit post likely stemmed from miscommunication.

"Clearly, the note-writer has the wrong door/house," Hayes said. She added that the poster should not be overly concerned about potential police involvement. She said that, if this person does call the police over the crying baby and the police show up, "you'll be able to prove the baby isn't yours, as you don't have one."

Instead of ignoring the issue, Hayes said she encourages the poster to communicate directly with the neighbor to clear up the misunderstanding.

"It's not uncommon in apartment complexes for people to misplace where the noise source is. The way to remedy this is clear communication. Speak to the note-writer/knocker and explain the noise isn't from your apartment," Hayes said.

The Challenges of Apartment Living and Noise Sensitivity

Noise complaints, particularly involving crying babies, are a frequent point of contention. While new parents do their best to soothe their infants, the sound can be disruptive for nearby residents.

"Babies do cry, often in the middle of the night. This is a part of life," Hayes said. "Yes, this can be disruptive for those living nearby, but most parents do the right thing and do everything they can to quiet the baby as quickly as possible."

For parents living in apartment buildings, Hayes said the poster should take extra measures to minimize disturbances for neighbors.

"If you live in an apartment, you have a responsibility to take extra measures to keep the baby as quiet as possible. Your neighbors didn't sign up for a crying baby, so the decent thing to do is to do everything you can to minimize the noise. This means closing doors/windows when the baby is crying and soothing the baby as quickly as possible," she added.

Hayes also warned against using the "controlled crying" technique—where a baby is left to cry without immediate soothing—when living in close quarters.

The controlled crying is "not appropriate in such a situation," Hayes said, "especially during quiet hours."

She added that parents should do "whatever is necessary so as to not disturb your neighbors." Hayes said: "Remember the golden rule—do unto others as you would have them do unto you."

'A Baby That's Crying Is Normal'

Reddit users were sympathetic toward u/Dependent_Bag_7254 and had various suggestions on how they should handle the issue.

U/Temporary_Maize_6672 wrote: "I would respond to the note and write 'I don't have a baby, wrong apt.' And tape it back up where they left it then put p.s. a baby that's crying is normal that's what they do, baby's that cry have healthy developed lungs and it's normal once again …"

"Leave the neighbor a note saying there hasn't been a baby in that apartment for 84 years. Make it as spooky as possible," posted u/donthugmeormugme.

U/Accomplished-Ebb4440 commented: "Take the note to the management and let them handle it."

"Honestly I'd let them call the cops on me because if you don't have a baby, it will make them look stupid on record," noted u/really_riana.

U/EldritchGumdrop wrote: "Even if you did have a baby I can't imagine making someone who is clearly struggling feel even worse with a note like that. If you don't want babies as potential neighbors then don't get an apartment."

Newsweek has contacted the original poster for comment via the Reddit messaging system.

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