You definitely need to make sure you are compliant on floor coverings. Any building I've been in requires 80% coverage of all floors.

Beyond that, I would talk to your downstairs neighbors and come up with some parameters. Your kids need to be able to play. But agreed, no bouncing balls.

You are a considerate neighbor. The people below you have to accept there will be some level of noise at certain times of the day. If that's a problem, then they need to move to a top floor.

Is there any way that you can switch apartment units to a downstairs one??
I think it would be very stressful to live in an upstairs unit w/two toddlers unless it was above a garage.

If you cannot switch units, perhaps you can speak w/your neighbors & try to figure out a compromise.
Maybe allow your kids to run ➕ jump more during a certain time window when their baby is awake??
Though I acknowledge young babies sleep patterns are never set in stone!!

There has to be some give + take here - - your neighbors live in an apartment so it is unrealistic for them to expect to never hear your toddlers play upstairs.

Do you have rugs? Are your kids in daycare?

Increased indoor time (read: screens) isn’t uncommon during the winter and cold climates.

I raised two toddlers in an apartment who became two early elementary school kids during COVID so we’ve navigated this plenty.

The most important thing is to make sure you are in compliance with whatever your building requires for floor covering. Get the thickest rug/carpeting pads you can. I also got some tumbling mats from IKEA to use during play. We didn’t allow balls or toys that needed to be bounced or run along the floor to play with (cars, trains etc.)

Make sure your kids are quiet during quiet hours, which it sounds like you do.

For your own peace of mind, review your lease for language about noise complaints. In my building, as long as you were in compliance with the floor covering requirements and keep quiet hours, noise complaints were toothless. I tried to be a good neighbor, but there’s only so much you can do with young children.

My suggestion is to do your best but let your kids be kids. I found a white noise machine a great way to help babies sleep in a noisy apartment building.

Can they run in the hallways or stair case? I mean you live there too so there's only but so much you can do.

Youre being very thoughtful and nothing you are doing is in any kind of violation, so don’t worry about management. As long as they’re not throwing balls, stomping and jumping in the middle of the night youre good.
If neighbor says anything else remind them that yours were terrible sleepers too ( even if they weren’t) and you invested in a noise machine that was a huge help. Commiserate on how thin the walls are and move on.

Are your kids out of the house and in childcare during any part of the day or are they in the apartment all day?

My goodness OP you sound like a really caring and considerate neighbor. I think you shouldn’t worry about them filing a complaint - you and your children and entitled to live there comfortably! It’s part of apartment living. Just keep in within reason. Definitely don’t put your kids on screens to appease a neighbor who may or may not be there. It’s not like they’re muffling their baby’s cries at 2 AM to appease your kids…

I've lived in an apartment with kids for 9 years. I don't allow stuff like banging toys in the floor, jumping up and down, or jumping on the furniture, but I didn't try to keep them from running (I would permit just running and running as a form of play -- that's an outdoor activity -- but running from one room to another was fine). I would not worry about a kid dropping something or falling down, this is just something kids do.

As your kids get older, they usually get quieter. We've had loud neighbors and were tolerant when it's just the sound of their lives (I would complain about very loud music or a dog barking endlessly, but not just the sound of people talking or moving around, even if it was loud).

Their baby will get used to the sound of your kids.

You’re posting from Canada?

We live in an apartment with 2 toddlers (1 & 2yo) and sometimes they run and stomp. I always stop them quickly, knowing we have downstairs neighbours. They recently knocked on our door asking us to keep it down as they have a 2 month old baby and the running noises are waking them up. I was very apologetic, of course, and said I will make sure it’s better.

My kids were barely allowed to run before (even before I knew they had a baby) but now definitely not at all. Sometimes they take a heavy step or walk fast, and I find myself shushing them. I’m hyper vigilant now of any noise they make - sometimes they drop a toy/book and I find myself getting anxious the neighbours will complain again, but I know I can’t do anything about those noises unless I literally do not allow my kids to play with any toys or books.

I’m in snowy Canada and we do try to leave the house when we can, but sometimes the weather just doesn’t cooperate. I’ve started doing too much screen time too just so they’ll sit still which I feel isn’t fair for them either also it goes without saying this is all during daytime hours as they are in bed from 7:30pm - 7:30am.

I really feel for them with their baby, having been there myself twice, but I feel like sometimes even a chirping bird was enough to wake my sensitive sleeper. How much of this burden is on me vs how much of this is just a part of apartment living?

My main question is - how do I navigate being a courteous neighbour with also letting my kids live? I told the neighbours to please let me know if the noise continues to bother them but I’m not sure what I would say or how to handle it if they come back saying it’s still too noisy as I’ve done what I can. What do I say if they come back? I feel like they’re the type to pursue a formal complaint with the building management which stresses me out too. Any advice would be appreciated.