New parents give a heads-up to neighbors about their baby with a hilarious sign and peace-offering

Editor's note: This article was originally published on February 17, 2023. It has since been updated.

It can get quite overwhelming for new parents as they are handling a child and all the added responsibilities that come with them. One such parent, Todd Wilson and Kristen Yanow had their first child, named Quint, on January 19, 2023. But they were unaware of how loud and often newborns cry, according to TODAY. They live in a one-bedroom apartment in New York's Lower East Side neighborhood. "We have three or four neighbors on our floor and our walls are kind of thin," Wilson said. "I didn’t want to terrify anybody."

The couple decided to let their neighbors know well in advance about the situation by placing a sign on their door. Yanow suggested they put wine bottles outside their door, but Wilson, a former bartender had a better idea. "We have a newborn. He is loud," the sign Wilson created reads. "He's cute as f-ck, but very noisy. Bear with us. Thanks for your patience." The sign concluded, "Take a nip or 2 at your leisure." They have placed a bucket of Jameson and tequila mini bottles along with the sign.

Wilson told TODAY that the bucket was from a shark robe, gifted to Quint - the shark hunter in "Jaws" and has the same name. Wilson said, "I thought it was hilarious." The couple posted a picture of the sign and the bucket on Instagram and many people on the platform found the idea brilliant. @tc.safavi commented, "I hope they're gifting you diapers in return. Congrats on the new addition!" @tayloroftorres commented, "Realistic. Kind. Generous. I wish my neighbors were like this." @devondhunt commented, "This cracks me up!!!" @emeblom commented, "Love everything about this- you're already doing amazing at your new gig." 

The sign was also posted on a popular viral Instagram account, "What Is New York," an account which carries snapshots from around the city by fellow New Yorkers. The post gained more than 147,000 likes and 1,200 comments on it. After which one of Wilson's neighbors texted him saying, "'I saw the sign from our hallway on 'What is New York.' Are you famous?'" Wilson added that the sign has also worked as an announcement for neighbors. "A couple of neighbors have taken a few nips and said 'Can we see Quint?" Wilson said.

However, the couple is grateful that their son is crying and making noises. "Quint was actually in the NICU for about five days when he was born," Wilson said. "He looked normal, but he didn't cry." He suffered from transient tachypnea, a respiratory problem in babies where the amniotic fluid is not entirely pulled from the lungs. "About twenty nurses and doctors ran into the room and every alarm in the hospital went off," Wilson said. "Kristen and I didn't think we were leaving with a child for a hot minute."

After observation and monitoring, Quint was later sent home. "There are no long-term side effects," Wilson said of transient tachypnea. "Quint is a tough little guy. He's doing great."