Baby next door

LegacyUser

hi all
my problem isn't as serious as some other posters but it's certainly affecting my life. basically my next door neighbours have a 16month old baby(as well as a 4year old) and the little one appears to be having teething probs or something. she wakes up screaming at least twice a night.
i know her poor parents must be at their wit's end, but i share a wall with her and wake up every time she does. she may as well be in the room with me. and they never take her downstairs, just stay in the room trying to get her back to sleep.the result is i'm exhausted the following day(most days at this point) and as i'm in final yr this is taking a toll.
i don't feel it's something a can mention to the parents as i'm sure they're at breaking point themselves, and i don't think it's my place to tell them how to parent their kids!
don't really know what i'm asking....guess i'm just totally sleep deprived.any suggestions?

Nevyn

Ear plugs.

Susannahmia

lil ole me wrote: »

hi all
my problem isn't as serious as some other posters but it's certainly affecting my life. basically my next door neighbours have a 16month old baby(as well as a 4year old) and the little one appears to be having teething probs or something. she wakes up screaming at least twice a night.
i know her poor parents must be at their wit's end, but i share a wall with her and wake up every time she does. she may as well be in the room with me. and they never take her downstairs, just stay in the room trying to get her back to sleep.the result is i'm exhausted the following day(most days at this point) and as i'm in final yr this is taking a toll.
i don't feel it's something a can mention to the parents as i'm sure they're at breaking point themselves, and i don't think it's my place to tell them how to parent their kids!
don't really know what i'm asking....guess i'm just totally sleep deprived.any suggestions?

Earplugs? Try the ones made from wax, imo they are more comfortable and block out more sound.

scull2009

shotgun... joke
go to bed with earphones and calming music in, let it die off after 30mins when you will be asleep, the earphones will probably block the sound, but if you still hear it then play your relxing stuff to put you to sleept again

kelle

If it's any consolation, it won't last forever!

I don't blame the parents for not taking the baby out of the bedroom, they are creatures of habit and the parents would be faced with problems if they were to take the baby into bed with them or bring it for a walk. Believe me, I know!

Any chance you could sleep in a different room if you're not housesharing, just to catch up on your lost sleep?

LegacyUser

not sure i could use ear plugs,i have issues with sticking things in my ears.

Dudess

Earplugs are dangerous as they could cause the wearer to sleep through the alarm.
Is your couch comfortable/three-seater? If so, I'd sleep there on nights before early starts. It's not great I know but it's a temporary measure and it's not as if you'd be using the living room as your bedroom (i.e. bringing all your stuff down there), it's literally only a matter of using it for sleep.

Or would there be a fold-up bed in the house?

star-pants

I was about to suggest similar to Dudess -- is it possible to sleep in another room? Even for a few nights here and there?

Kenno90

Maybe you could sleep in another room in your house , were the noise of the baby would be less

Victor

Dudess wrote: »

Earplugs are dangerous as they could cause the wearer to sleep through the alarm.

Actually, I found the opposite. Instead of the alarm going off with some background noise, with the earplugs in, it is as if it is going off with no background noise. It is the apparent change in noise level that wakes us, not the absolute level (otherwise you would never be able to sleep in a vehicle).

smellslikeshoes

Victor wrote: »

Actually, I found the opposite. Instead of the alarm going off with some background noise, with the earplugs in, it is as if it is going off with no background noise. It is the apparent change in noise level that wakes us, not the absolute level (otherwise you would never be able to sleep in a vehicle).

Maybe I'm misunderstanding here but by that logic wouldn't it mean that the earplugs would be useless for blocking out the noise of the Baby when she starts screaming?

fabbydabby

I am a tinnitus veteran and would advise against the earplugs. Most brands (disposable or re usable) are quite uncomfortable with your head on a pillow and leaving them in all night could promote ear infections or what not.

I suggest investing in a futon and sleeping downstairs. Otherwise log how often and how much you have been kept awake for a month and call over and explain nicely that while you sympathise with them, you really need them to make alternative sleeping arrangements for the kid, cause lets face it, that's noise pollution right? And they wouldn't be long telling you to turn down your stereo. It's the same diff.

abouttobebanned

Kudos to everybody for being understanding of the parents

kippy

Move out(if you rent), complain to your landlord(if you rent) or get a builder in(if you own).
Personally, I think its a disgrace that the walls are that thin.
While it wont last forever I can appreciate the difficulty you are having.

LegacyUser

thanks to all the replies.

i reckon i'm gonna set up the spare room in case i need to temporarily move in. i've lived here my whole life and even when i shared a wall with to other kids i never got woken up by them!!don't know why it's different with her.

laoisfan

fabbydabby wrote: »

Otherwise log how often and how much you have been kept awake for a month and call over and explain nicely that while you sympathise with them, you really need them to make alternative sleeping arrangements for the kid, cause lets face it, that's noise pollution right? And they wouldn't be long telling you to turn down your stereo. It's the same diff.

Noise pollution :rolleyes: You are a sad...sad...sad person. Baby crying due to teething problems, possibly maybe even colic and you're comparing it to a stereo playing. Sad...sad...sad....

If it was the dog howling at night etc then you would have a point....but a baby. You are a joke.

Mods - warn me if you want but this poster is taking the p*ss...

Ann22

You can get these velvet eye mask things that play a selection of soothing sounds in your ears. Choices range between sounds of the sea, rain falling, a river and birds tweeting. There's volume control, they run on batteries and automatically switch off after about an hour I think. You can also plug in an mp3 player to it. My oh bought me one in heatons.
I wouldn't dream of saying anything to the poor neighbours, how stressed they must be! I was in Tesco the other day and there was a woman trying to manage a screaming newborn whilst shopping. It was piercing..I'd've been in tears if I was her:(.

Blisterman

Dudess wrote: »

Earplugs are dangerous as they could cause the wearer to sleep through the alarm.
Is your couch comfortable/three-seater? If so, I'd sleep there on nights before early starts. It's not great I know but it's a temporary measure and it's not as if you'd be using the living room as your bedroom (i.e. bringing all your stuff down there), it's literally only a matter of using it for sleep.

Or would there be a fold-up bed in the house?

They'd have to be pretty good ear plugs to block out the sound of a fire alarm.

I'd second trying earplugs. Foam ones are best. The ones shaped like a bullet. I used to live beside a train track, and ear plugs were a godsend.

Dudess

Blisterman wrote: »

They'd have to be pretty good ear plugs to block out the sound of a fire alarm.

I mean the alarm clock. I'm a very light sleeper and earplugs have caused me to do so.
Incidentally, calling it noise pollution is too much all right, but if I had a baby, I'd put their cot in the room furthest from the neighbour's.

Dearg81

get a pair of these: http://www.zalmar.com/detail-Audio-Headphones-K440NC.htm

They're headphones that block out all noises. Theyre worth it if its affecting your sleep.

Seniorpeazel

Dudess wrote: »

Earplugs are dangerous as they could cause the wearer to sleep through the alarm.

I thought that any danger would be the ear plug getting stuck in your ear or something like that... wouldnt say they are Dangerous jsut because you may sleep through your alarm .

My suggestion is white noise... its realxing and will drwon out the babies cries...

shellyboo

Dearg81 wrote: »

get a pair of these: http://www.zalmar.com/detail-Audio-Headphones-K440NC.htm

They're headphones that block out all noises. Theyre worth it if its affecting your sleep.

How would anyone be able to sleep with them on?! Uncomfortable to say the least!

OP if you can't bear to wear internal ear-plugs, then you need to look into getting away from the noise. If it's possible to move into the spare room, that's probably the easiest option - if it's not, you're going to have to talk to the parents about moving the baby into another room.

It's horrible for them, and you'll feel like an utter tool doing it, but you've got no other choice. You deserve to be able to sleep in peace, it's not your baby!

Blisterman

Dudess wrote: »

I mean the alarm clock. I'm a very light sleeper and earplugs have caused me to do so.
Incidentally, calling it noise pollution is too much all right, but if I had a baby, I'd put their cot in the room furthest from the neighbour's.

Oh right. When you said "Dangerous", I assumed that you meant Fire Alarm.

Well, that can be avoided by turning up the volume of the alarm/buying a louder one.

Dudess

Seniorpeazel wrote: »

I thought that any danger would be the ear plug getting stuck in your ear or something like that... wouldnt say they are Dangerous jsut because you may sleep through your alarm .

Blisterman wrote: »

Oh right. When you said "Dangerous", I assumed that you meant Fire Alarm.

Fair point - but what I mean by "dangerous" is if you have a particularly cruel boss.

kippy

kippy wrote: »

Move out(if you rent), complain to your landlord(if you rent) or get a builder in(if you own).
Personally, I think its a disgrace that the walls are that thin.
While it wont last forever I can appreciate the difficulty you are having.

Does anyone not think that its a bit of a disgrace that this type of thing should be a problem in modern overpriced housing(as I am assuming it is)

fabbydabby

laoisfan wrote: »

Noise pollution :rolleyes: You are a sad...sad...sad person. Baby crying due to teething problems, possibly maybe even colic and you're comparing it to a stereo playing. Sad...sad...sad....

I don't see how. Being kept awake by ANY noise which infringes on your right to live in peace and quiet is noise pollution imo. Where do you draw the line? babies are OK but what if the guy was beating his wife and you were trying to sleep? Or his kids? Or his lad?

Where do you draw the line I say.

Dudess

fabbydabby wrote: »

I don't see how. Being kept awake by ANY noise which infringes on your right to live in peace and quiet is noise pollution imo. Where do you draw the line? babies are OK but what if the guy was beating his wife and you were trying to sleep? Or his kids? Or his lad?

Where do you draw the line I say.

Well I think you drew it yourself by mentioning a crying baby along with a wife-beater. Surely it's deliberate disregard for others versus noise that ain't pleasant for all involved but can only be avoided to a certain extent - e.g. a crying baby? I think parents of babies should be considerate to their neighbours if living in very close quarters to them - i.e. the baby's room being as far from the neighbours as possible. But this isn't always feasible. Calling it noise pollution would be more reasonable if they could do something about it - what would you suggest they do, bearing in mind there might not be any other room for the baby to sleep in?

SarahSassy

laoisfan wrote: »

Noise pollution :rolleyes: You are a sad...sad...sad person. Baby crying due to teething problems, possibly maybe even colic and you're comparing it to a stereo playing. Sad...sad...sad....

If it was the dog howling at night etc then you would have a point....but a baby. You are a joke.

Mods - warn me if you want but this poster is taking the p*ss...

You obviously have kids... Dont everyone wants to hear other peoples little treasures whining all night long... If it was music it would be the same.. Parents should be thinking ahead and putting the baby as far away from the partition wall as possible.

fabbydabby

Dudess, I don't suggest they DO anything. I actually don't really care. I was simply stating a fact. Such a problem won't bother me because I live out the country and enjoy my peace, but I know it would if I lived in town again.

I don't have kids but I do have a nephew and I know how these things go, believe it or not. And I know red eyed yawning parents don't exactly want to listen to people giving out about being kept up.

But it's a reason, not an excuse and nobody should have to listen to a bawling child on a nightly basis if they elected not to indulge in kids themselves. As another poster siad:

You obviously have kids... Dont everyone wants to hear other peoples little treasures whining all night long... If it was music it would be the same

Mike 1972

kippy wrote: »

Does anyone not think that its a bit of a disgrace that this type of thing should be a problem in modern overpriced housing(as I am assuming it is)

Absolutley :mad:

Zzippy

SarahSassy wrote: »

You obviously have kids... Dont everyone wants to hear other peoples little treasures whining all night long... If it was music it would be the same.. Parents should be thinking ahead and putting the baby as far away from the partition wall as possible.

And what if its a small house only one room wide? Or a terraced house, where moving the baby to another room means waking the neighbour on that side? I live in a terraced house one room wide, what would I be supposed to do if I had a crying baby?
Its not like music or other noise intentionally made, its a crying baby for gods sake.

iguana

OP, a few years ago I moved to London during a heatwave and we had to keep an air cooler on all night as it was too hot to sleep. Because of that I found that the white noise from the fan blocks out ambient noise and makes it easier to sleep. So whenever there is noise that I can't sleep through I switch the fan on. It works very well ime. Just make sure you keep your alarm close to your head so it will wake you.

The only problem I've found with it is, that if I use it a lot I find fan noise hypnotic and it makes me want to nod off.

laoisfan

SarahSassy wrote: »

You obviously have kids... Dont everyone wants to hear other peoples little treasures whining all night long... If it was music it would be the same.. Parents should be thinking ahead and putting the baby as far away from the partition wall as possible.

Yes I do have kids. And what is your point?

Perhaps the parents of this baby are not in a position to put the baby as far away from the partition wall as possible. Maybe the size of their place prevents them from doing so....who knows.

Comparing a baby crying to noise pollution, music playing.........is plain and simple SAD!! and it is not the same thing.

At least with music people can be asked to turn it down, turn it off or the police can be called etc etc.

But with a baby it is a totally different story. The baby can be sick, have colic, teething...a whole multitude of problems.

I take it you don't have kids?

shellyboo

Zzippy wrote: »

And what if its a small house only one room wide? Or a terraced house, where moving the baby to another room means waking the neighbour on that side? I live in a terraced house one room wide, what would I be supposed to do if I had a crying baby?
Its not like music or other noise intentionally made, its a crying baby for gods sake.

laoisfan wrote: »

Perhaps the parents of this baby are not in a position to put the baby as far away from the partition wall as possible. Maybe the size of their place prevents them from doing so....who knows.

Perhaps... no-one's saying he INSISTS on having this ANNOYING noise removed ASAP or else... we're just suggesting that he ask if it's a possibility. Nobody's suggesting the baby be labelled a public nuisance, it's just a possible solution.

LegacyUser

Op here-
we live in a 25 year old semi detached house; as i've said i never really had a prob before. even when the baby's older sis would cry we might vauguely hear her if the TV was off or something. but i think it's just the pitch of her crying that seems to be getting to me. her older sis is in the room furthest away from us but i wish they'd swap or something:(

Dudess

laoisfan wrote: »

Yes I do have kids. And what is your point?

It's causing your emotions to take over and make you borderline abusive.

Perhaps the parents of this baby are not in a position to put the baby as far away from the partition wall as possible. Maybe the size of their place prevents them from doing so....who knows.

Comparing a baby crying to noise pollution, music playing.........is plain and simple SAD!! and it is not the same thing.

At least with music people can be asked to turn it down, turn it off or the police can be called etc etc.

But with a baby it is a totally different story. The baby can be sick, have colic, teething...a whole multitude of problems.

Agreed.

I take it you don't have kids?

Groan...

irishgrover

SarahSassy wrote: »

You obviously have kids... Dont everyone wants to hear other peoples little treasures whining all night long... If it was music it would be the same.. Parents should be thinking ahead and putting the baby as far away from the partition wall as possible.

ah yes, one obviously needs to have reproduced to be able to understand the difference between rude neighbors playing loud music through a stereo and having a baby scream in pain or discomfort.... :rolleyes:

To the OP, I would see no harm at all in talking to your neighbors. Chances are that they are unaware of the fact that this is disturbing you. It would seem completely reasonable that they would attempt to facilitate a solution or partial solution, even if that was just moving the baby to the other side of the same room. After all neither party is to blame for the situation so neither party should take offense to it being raised.....
unless you subscribe to the view that your neighbors are assuming that you want to little to their little treasure whining all night, which lets face it, would be a little daft!

The Sweeper

How big do you think the room is, that an extra few feet of space in the absolute dead of night would make the slightest bit of a difference to the noise level waking up the OP?

OP, move rooms. This won't last forever, and the baby will either change sleeping patterns or the discomfort that is causing him/her to wake routinely will go and they'll start sleeping through the night.

Parents are super sensitive over their children, and you saying 'your crying baby is keeping me awake' will not be seen as a reasonable complaint by even the most laid back of new parents, no matter how much you sugar-coat it.

Additionally, if your complaint distresses the parents, it will make things worse, because the next time the baby cries, the parent will be conscious of you, awake in the next room, and an anxious, hett-up parent will find it very, very difficult to settle a child.

Rabidlamb

Minesajackdaniels wrote: »

Parents are super sensitive over their children, and you saying 'your crying baby is keeping me awake' will not be seen as a reasonable complaint by even the most laid back of new parents, no matter how much you sugar-coat it.

+1 to this comment.
I consider myself quite an easy going parent but if you came to my door complaining about my young lad I would go ballistic.
I'd plough up your lawn, blow up your car & probably shoot your dog.
Pussy footing around actually makes it worse cause you don't realise that you took a bollicking until about an hour later.

Probably wouldn't shoot your dog . . . . I like dogs.
Have you got a cat by any chance.

littlebug

I've been on both sides of this one. I've been kept awoken at 5am every morning for weeks on end by the monster in the appt upstairs and in my naivety wondered why the hell the parents didn't do something about it:rolleyes:. i ended up keeping a mattress in the living room and sleeping there many nights... which was actually lovely if I lit a fire.

I've also been the mother of a baby who would scream the house down every night for months on end. Given that I had this screaming thing in my arms day and night for months and months and rarely got more than an hours sleep in one go in the same amount of time I can honestly say that if a neighbour had even politely asked me to do something about it I would have been driven right over the edge if parents could do anything that would mean getting a good nights sleep they would. I did have a neighbour at the time but thankfully the room was on the other side of the house. I apologised many times to her about the noise but she always claimed not to notice. In retrospect she probably heard me crying just as much as the baby

(NB "screaming thing" has turned out to be a lovely child).

irishgrover

Rabidlamb wrote: »

+1 to this comment.
I consider myself quite an easy going parent but if you came to my door complaining about my young lad I would go ballistic.
I'd plough up your lawn, blow up your car & probably

Seriously, if you neighbor said something like this would you really take offense.....

"Hi, I'm in sleep in the room next to your baby room. Due to the completely useless construction of the dividing wall I wake up each night when he/she cries. I am not complaining in any way about the baby or your own behavior, and fully understand that you would obviously prefer if the baby slept thought the night. However if there is an easy solution such as moving the nursery to another room then I would really appreciate it if you could consider it. If however that is not an option, for whatever reason, then please be aware that I fully understand and I want to re-iterate again that I am not complaining or asking you to change your behavior, or unsettle the baby further by moving him/her out of room when crying etc I understand that this will pass and that it is very stressful for you as parents, and this situation is purely down to bad sound proofing as opposed to anyones behavior...."

Dudess

Yeah, while I'd be very understanding of parents whose baby is screaming hysterically through the night and I agree the "noise pollution" comments are very unreasonable, I really can't stand the holier-than-thou attitudes of some parents who feel it's their god-given right to be as obnoxious and condescending to non parents as they want to be when it comes to the question of their children.

They were once non parents too - they should remember that.

laoisfan

Dudess wrote: »

It's causing your emotions to take over and make you borderline abusive.

You may be a moderator on here but perhaps you need to take a step back and read the entire thread from start to finish and show clearly where I have become "borderline abusive". Please don't copy & paste from my earlier posts because if you had an issue with some of my previous posts to this thread then you should have replied straight away stating clearly where I was out of order. A bit late in the day to say I am "borderline abusive". Kindly do a historic search for any posts I have created-replied too and I think you will see I am never abusive or "borderline abusive".

Also, from some of the earlier replies and some of the more recent replies to this thread I would wager the majority of them are siding with my point of view...which I thought I was entitled to state. Seeing as others are entitled to compare babies crying to noise pollution I thought I was quiet restraint in my replies/posting.

Parents are sensitive about their kids....it's what makes them parents for crying out loud. From the very first day they are brought into this world parents will be sensitive about anything and everything about their kids, whether right or wrong.

Ban me if you want...couldn't care less at this stage.

OP - I understand how frustrated you are about the lack of sleep and I sympathize completely, really I do. I think some of the posters to this thread have made some good suggestions, perhaps think about some of them and maybe give them a go. Remember though....the baby won't always cry ...and that's talking from experience!! Good luck! I wish you the best!!

SarahSassy, shellyboo & fabbydabby - :shake: let's agree to disagree. I'm not about to get angry with anybody I do not know. Life's too short. Besides...I keeping any emotions for the budget today

Oh The Humanity

Dudess wrote: »

Yeah, while I'd be very understanding of parents whose baby is screaming hysterically through the night and I agree the "noise pollution" comments are very unreasonable, I really can't stand the holier-than-thou attitudes of some parents who feel it's their god-given right to be as obnoxious and condescending to non parents as they want to be when it comes to the question of their children.

They were once non parents too - they should remember that.

Well said Dudess and although God knows its mind bending enough trying to calm down a distressed babby at the end of the day its not my neighbours problem. She didn't choose to have a baby would be my attitude!

I would feel glad the neighbour approached me reasonably rather than offended presuming she was attacking my parenting skills/child.

Being a parent is a choice, a hard choice but it doesn't give one licence to be unreasonable and aggressive.

Dudess

laoisfan wrote: »

You may be a moderator on here

Please don't give me that passive-aggressive crap. I'm not a moderator on Personal Issues, I'm a member - like you.

but perhaps you need to take a step back and read the entire thread from start to finish and show clearly where I have become "borderline abusive".

Your first post on this thread:

You are a sad...sad...sad person. Baby crying due to teething problems, possibly maybe even colic and you're comparing it to a stereo playing. Sad...sad...sad.

If it was the dog howling at night etc then you would have a point....but a baby. You are a joke.

I don't disagree with your position but that looks like borderline abuse to me. Actually there's nothing "borderline" about it.

Please don't copy & paste from my earlier posts

Well I've just done that, but I don't see what's wrong with it. It answers your question.

because if you had an issue with some of my previous posts to this thread then you should have replied straight away stating clearly where I was out of order.

No I shouldn't - I don't moderate this forum so all I can do if I think a poster is being out of order is to report the post, which I did.

A bit late in the day to say I am "borderline abusive".

No it isn't, because it was relevant to your question "What's your point?" to SarahSassy in relation to her assumption you were a parent.

Also, from some of the earlier replies and some of the more recent replies to this thread I would wager the majority of them are siding with my point of view

As am I - you'll see that in my posts.

which I thought I was entitled to state.

Who said you aren't?

LegacyUser

laoisfan wrote: »

Yes I do have kids. And what is your point?

Well, I dont know what the other posters point was but mine to you would be, your posts are very obviously subjective and impatient of the OP's point of view.

laoisfan wrote: »

Perhaps the parents of this baby are not in a position to put the baby as far away from the partition wall as possible. Maybe the size of their place prevents them from doing so....who knows

Perhaps, but perhaps NOT! OP has every right to try to approach the parents to try to work it out, she seems a reasonable person to me, I just hope the parents in question are reasonable too.

laoisfan wrote: »

Comparing a baby crying to noise pollution, music playing.........is plain and simple SAD!! and it is not the same thing.

Ah, there is where you are WRONG. It is exactly the same thing to OP. Loud noise stopping her sleeping. Yes the baby crying is no-ones fault but thats irrelevant when you have not choice. OP does not seem to be blaming or attacking the parents, but you seem to be assuming she is.

laoisfan wrote: »

At least with music people can be asked to turn it down, turn it off or the police can be called etc etc.

But with a baby it is a totally different story. The baby can be sick, have colic, teething...a whole multitude of problems.

I take it you don't have kids?

True, everyone already understands about babies, you dont have to have one to understand the frustration of not being able to calm them when sick or upset. It is very rude of you to assume that childless people "just dont understand"
You come accross a bit like the cliched "new parent" very evangelical about parenthood to the exclusion of all else, including other peoples rights -sorry but you do.

They do. Your views are very tunnel visioned. You need to learn to consider other people as well as you own kids, other people have rights too.

irishgrover

and the award for the daftest comment of the thread so far goes to......:eek:

Dudess wrote: »

It's causing your emotions to take over and make you borderline abusive.

Dudess

Perhaps you should back up that statement?

Beruthiel

Read the forum Charter before you get yourself banned from here irishgrover.
B

laoisfan

Dudess wrote: »

Perhaps you should back up that statement?

careful Dudess...that might be seen as being provoking or something like... lol

My apologies to you...I mistakenly thought you were a mod for this section. I stand corrected.

As regards my earlier comments "sad sad sad" and "fool"....fair enough...upon reflection perhaps they were a tad aggressive. I personally do not think they were borderline abusive...but hey...that's the beauty of a democracy...we all have opinions.

But remember also...I think Dirty Harry said it in the Deal Pool (1988). "Opinions are like assholes. Everybody's got one and everyone thinks everyone else's stinks."

Of course being a parent does not give one the right to be unreasonable or agressive...but hey....when people see comments comparing crying babies to noise pollution....well that says it all really...

Anyway...lets agree to disagree and let the thread get back on track....

I love everyone of you guys....really I do....GROUP HUGS......irishgrover...is that your hand

anbrutog

Slightly unrelated to the topic being discussed but relevant to the overall issue of shoddy construction in apartments , can anything be done about it??
The partition walls between my apartment and the neighbours are literally paper thin and while thankfully I've always lived beside fairly quiet people, i can hear literally everything that goes on next door. Conversations in crystal clear stereo, my neighbour snoring and singing in the shower , when he receives a text message, its absolutely outrageous. I've often wondered what the legal standpoint would be on something like this??