NYC And Noise Ordinances

My husband is a sergeant in the NYPD - you have nothing to worry about - they are way, way, way too busy with real crime to come and aggravate you because your downstairs neighbor is hyper sensitive to noise. I've lived in all kinds of apratment situations over the years - and unless the noise was unrelenting or usually took place at 2 AM I wouldn't dream of coming upstairs to ask someone to keep their baby quiet. Unless there's loud screaming or ongoing banging through the night you're fine. Occasion toy banging is not a big deal.

One suggestion - change up the part of the living room where your baby plays if that's possible. If the corner he usually plays in is right over your neighbors recliner it could get tiring to be sitting below it. ALso, consider a peace offering - homemade cookies, bottle of wine, etc - depending on the neighbor. If it's an elderly lady maybe invite her up for tea or lunch one day and she's take a shine to your baby and you'll never get another complaint - if it's a younger person a bottle of wine may be the thing with a note that says something like "So sorry about the noise our baby makes - this works for me" - and add a smiley face.

Good luck - neighbors are always tricky - whether you're in the burbs and their kids is throwing rocks at your or if a downstairs person...

Nuisance noise ordinances are typically applied between 10 pm and 7 am. Looking over the NYC code, they have something similar. The exception in the NYC code is for impulsive noise (e.g., hammering and banging). Impulsive noise can be classified as a nuisance anytime (not just at night) if the sound of the banging is 15-dBA louder than the ambient noise level. Without sound level measurements, no one is going to know if your child's banging increases the ambient noise by more than 15 dBA. And measurements are costly, so it's incredibly unlikely that anyone would ever try to enforce this part of the code if it only occurs during the day and only occasionally.

One note, it would probably ease your neighbors' minds and reduce their annoyance if they knew you were being conscientious about the noise-making. Tell them about the foam tiles, soft toys, etc. This should help them get over it (at least a little bit).

Call the non emergency police number and ask them.
Then have some ear plugs on hand (you can buy disposable ear plugs by the jar) and the next time the neighbors come knocking, hand the ear plugs to them.

Babies will be babies and they make noise. However I would take a plate, or basket of fresh cookies or muffins to the neighbor and apoligise. I would also ask the neighbor what his (her) work schedule is and try to accomadate him as much as possible. For instance if he works second shift and has to sleep during the day, plan a few activities for you and the baby out of the apartment, for the time when he will be going to bed. Hopefully once he gets to sleep the noise won't bother him so much. This neighbor has to understand that he lives in a big city and cities are noisy. If he wants to have peace and quiet he needs to move to a small town.

If the neighbor gets nasty then just calk it up to a mean spirited person and know you have done your best to keep the peace. I would also speak to the building manager and explain that you did what you could to keep the peace.

You can ask the building manager. Or call the non-emergency line & ask the police department, maybe?

Call the local police precinct and ask.