It’s not easy being a new parent. In many densely populated American cities, there is an added layer of stress. Parents have to worry about annoying their neighbors with newborn baby noises, such as crying at all hours of the night. Todd Wilson and Kristen Yanow decided to take preemptive measures in New York City after they welcomed their son Quint to the world.
They put a sign on their front door explaining the situation and offering tiny bottles of booze as a consolation for the noise. It was a hit with the neighbors and got everyone talking. The sign even made it to Instagram and went viral.
Quint is Todd and Kristen’s first child. The new family of three is learning together as they go. "We weren’t quite aware of how loud and how often newborns cry," Todd confessed to Today.
Todd felt bad for the neighbors. "We have three or four neighbors on our floor and our walls are kind of thin," he explained. "I didn’t want to terrify anybody."
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Todd decided to make a sign apologizing for the noise and making a peace offering. "We have a newborn. He is loud," the sign stated. "He's cute as [expletive], but very noisy. Bear with us. Thanks for your patience."
The sign wasn’t the only thing. Using a bucket given as a gift to Quint, Todd put little Jameson and tequila bottles. Kristen voted for wine but Todd went with the hard stuff. "Take a nip or 2 at your leisure," the sign concluded.
Todd loved the sign. "I thought it was hilarious," he stated. He was not the only one. An Instagram account called “What Is New York” picked up the story.
This account shares photos of the Big Apple taken by its residents, and made Todd’s sign a viral sensation. The post was shared to the account’s 1.5 million followers. It received 130,000 likes and nearly 1,100 comments.
The sign also helped bring the neighbors together. "A couple neighbors have taken a few nips and said 'Can we see Quint?" Todd shared. Community is so important and it's beautiful to see people coming together.
Crying might be irksome to some, but Todd and Kristen are relieved Quint is able to make some noise. He suffered from transient tachypnea when he was born. This respiratory condition occurs when amniotic fluid is not completely cleared from the lungs at birth.
"Quint was actually in the NICU for about five days when he was born," Todd recalled. "He looked normal, but he didn't cry. About 20 nurses and doctors ran into the room and every alarm in the hospital went off. Kristen and I didn't think we were leaving with a child for a hot minute."
Thankfully Quint is doing just fine now. "There are no long-term side effects," Todd explained. "Quint is a tough little guy. He's doing great."
