A big learning curve comes when you welcome a new baby, and those first six weeks can be really challenging. When Todd Wilson and Kristen Yanow brought their first baby home at the start of the year, they were surprised by how loud and often their baby cried.
And while they realized that crying was expected — they didn't want their neighbors to worry.
As Today reported, Todd and Kristen live in a one-bedroom apartment in New York's Lower East Side. On January 19, 2023, they welcomed their first baby, a boy named Quint.
And as all parents do, Todd and Kristen learned a lot in those first few days home with their baby.
Namely that babies make a lot of noise.
"We weren't quite aware of how loud and how often newborns cry," Todd told Today. So when they realized how noisy their little one was, they worried about their neighbors.
"We have three or four neighbors on our floor, and our walls are kind of thin," Todd added. "I didn't want to terrify anybody."
So they got creative and came up with an idea.
The new parents decided to warn their neighbors and give them a small gift should they hear the baby in the middle of the night. And they decided to put a sign and a small offering on their door for neighbors impacted by Quint's cries.
Kristen suggested placing wine bottles outside their doors, but after brainstorming with Todd, they devised a great plan.
The couple put a sign and a basket of small peace offerings on their door.
"We have a newborn," the sign on Todd and Kristen's apartment door read. "He is loud. He's cute as f—, but very noisy. Bear with us. Thanks for your patience."
In addition to the sign, they had a basket of tequila and Jameson bottles.
"Take a nip or 2 at your leisure."
A popular Instagram page that documents snapshots from around New York got a photo of the sign and shared it with its followers.
"Parenting done right," the photo caption showing the note and bucket of mini bottles read.
The comment section was great at reminding people that babies make noise, and no one should feel guilty about that.
"I get the gesture, it's nice, but of all the noises made in NY apartments, this is the last one that needs an apology," one person commented.
"I hope their neighbours gift them lots of diapers and offer to turn over laundry loads in the basement," another wrote.
"Parenting a newborn is hard as f—," someone else commented. "Give them grace. Bring them soup and chocolate. Don't bang on the door, the walls, the ceilings, or the floors. They're doing the best they can, trust me."
Babies are loud and we love understanding neighbors!
