Upstairs Apartment Etiquette

I am a mother of four kids under 12 and an ex- property manager. We ran into this problem all the time. Leagally, unless you are blasting music or have a barking dog, present your self as a trashy loiterer or leave trash in the stairwell...You cannot be persued. It is against fair housing laws.

After all, it's not your fault that your landlord didn't take this into consideration when renting to you, assuming you were honest about having kids. If you want the comfort of 1st floor living then you must take pros with cons. Your neighbours can't do anything about it, but live with it. I'm sure they have enough common scense to not notify you with a broom. If the walls are thin, banging a broom will put a hole thru the popcorn ceilings and drywall.

Diplomacy.

You do want to be diplomatic with your neighbours. NO MATTER WHAT. There is nothing more miserable than living in a place where you get stared down everytime you pull in. Landlords, can't kick you out, but can pester you with noise courtesy notices.

I would recommend baking cookies (make sure they aren't diabetic!) or having your kids draw pictures of them holding hands with your neighbours. They will feel attached and wont become so angry if their adopted "grandkids" make a thud and thump every now and then. Gathering little details and giving them kindness allows them to get to know you and your family. Especially if they see you are a good mom that is doing everything you humanly can to keep the monkeys at bay.

Also, the kid you babysit, needs to be taken outside and given a high energy activity the moment he gets to your house. 30 mins outside and no sugar snacks should help. Also, free play time allows his wild side to come out. Try to give them a new "toy" or structured activity every 30 minutes. Painting on the patio, chaulk, playdoh, dollar store stuff. Trust me...It works! :)

Good thing they are older perhaps they dont hear as well! You can give them your number (if they are really elderly and would have a hard time climbing stairs) and ask them to call if its getting too loud. I would not worry about it too much, stay on there good side, bring them cookies and crafts that the kids make for them. They can use ear plugs and white noise or some elevator music to drown out the sound.

I do know how you feel. I had an elptical exercise thing and would not use it thinking it was too loud for the down stairs neighbors. I walked outside!

I would ask the couple what time they sleep. The husband may go to sleep as soon as he walks in the door and sleep until 2:00 or he may to do the reverse. Regardless, I'm sure they have had "upstairs" neighbors for years. Ask them if the noise is bothersome. You may be surprised.

My guess (just a guess) is that the husband is quite accustomed to coming home, shutting the curtains and putting in his ear plugs before calling it a "night"!

Still try to keep the "quiet feet" rule because it's good manners and they really shouldn't be running in the house, but if there are times when it's okay to have "free play", then you'll know!

If he is sleeping during the day then no kids in the bedrooms at all, not even in the bathroom playing in the bathtub with swimsuits on. I would ask the wife how it is going, if it's bothering him ask if you can buy him some earplugs then do so if she says that would help.

Well, since the man works 11-7 shift, I wonder when he sleeps? It might be more like in the evening, then he "gets up" to go to work, which would put your "keep it down" time from about dinnertime through bedtime, which wouldn't be that bad. Now if he sleeps when he gets home (at say 8 a.m. through late afternoon) then I think you'd have to be more diligent.
If that's the case, take the kids OUT so they can get their ya-ya's out outside then quieter activities at home, after lunch. Are there still nap times involved with the 3 yo and 2.5 yo? If so, probably after lunch, right?
Generally, rules for apartments are "no loud noise after 10 pm. and I think if your "noise" during the daytime is reasonable and not constant and high decibel, then it would be up to the downstairs people to find ways to minimize what they hear (white noise, music, ear plugs, etc.).

I think keeping kids that young all the time is going to be almost impossible. maybe get the foam puzzle mats for the living room or play area (you can get letters, numbers or plain). It is good to get the kids out for outdoor play daily when you can but some days weather will make it difficult. Unfortunately if you work the night shift you have to deal with normal daytime noise so you neighbor may not be that bothered. You can talk to them and see what helps. It seems you are being as considerate as you can, more than most probably.