Annoying Ice Cream Truck.

I only saw one ice cream truck one time this summer. The music was down so low that he was just about out of sight before I noticed. It was about 7:15pm. I remember the time because one kid was home and the other was about to come home from karate.

At this time of year, my kids (and the other neighborhood kids) are sometimes still playing outside at 8pm so I could see them wanting an ice cream truck treat. My problem is forking over $4+ for one! Yikes.

School hasn't started here yet. When it does, bedtime is 9-9:30, so hearing the truck at 8pm wouldn't be a bother.

Yeah--apparently a prerequisite for being The Ice Cream Man is an innate willingness to be highly obnoxious!

8 is not late, most people, even most kids, are still up at 8. That said, if he is really that annoying then no one will buy his ice-cream and he will move on on his own to someplace/time he is actually making money.

A success story to encourage you. My son drove an ice cream truck to pay college expenses. He drove the neighborhoods his boss instructed him to. One night a very irritated Dad came out to blast him for disturbing his kids' evening. My son understood. When little, our kids had a very early bedtime. So he asked the Dad what would be the last good time he could cruise that neighborhood, they agreed on a time, and before the end of the summer, that Dad was so grateful that he became my son's best tipper. (By the way, I had no idea tips were even given to ice cream truck drivers until my own son drove one!)

So my point of view is, absolutely go talk to the driver. It could be a very successful end to irritating evenings. All my best.

There were times I bought my kids a treat on a school night after 8pm. Not sure how old your girl is but there are lots of ice cream loving children who are awake at 8pm.

If you have a really young child I can imagine this is annoying but it's a very temporary problem. It'll be dark at 8pm soon, problem solved!

Wow. Some seriously asinine judgements being made in the posts below about people trying to earn a living.

I agree with R.K. Go out and chat with the driver. Buy an ice cream bar and be friendly. I'll bet they are understanding and will drive by at a better time.

I am going to go out on a limb not knowing the ice cream truck market. I am guessing that you are not the only parent saying this is a school night so with not so many stops he could increase his area hoping to make up the loss.

I would actually buy my kids ice cream but then I figure you are only young once. Eventually they will have kids and hate that truck.

Sure, we don't get them in bed until 9 and they're playing outside at 8, it's still daylight. They get up at 7. 9pm-7am is enough sleep for most any school kid.

Our ice cream truck comes by every Saturday afternoon at 5:30pm, just as we are about to sit down to supper! I end up with "Turkey in the Straw" playing in my head for the next few hours. I would be much more likely to buy ice cream at 8:00pm because that is closer to when we are having dessert. To me 8:00pm is pretty early for anyone to be in bed.

7 is so early! no, i wouldn't get a kid UP to buy 'em ice cream, and probably wouldn't do anything that late on a school night anyway. but it's still summer here, and beautifully twilit around 8. we'd never get an ice cream truck this far out, but if we did, i'd buy some!
there are no neighborhoods they can drive through at ANY time of day where they won't be annoying someone. they have no way of knowing your daughter's early bedtime, or your neighbor's melanoma, and even if they did, they're trying to make a living.
khairete
S.

I might buy some once in awhile.. I gather that once it begins getting dark sooner, maybe he won't be out there so late? if not, this is a case where you ll just have to deal with it.. My bedroom faces the front of the house, which means OFTEN people are walking by and late at night.. It also means I can hear people come and go in their cars.. While I awaken easy, my son and husband aren't bothered by it.. What helps me is that I have one of those white noise wave machines.. it really drowns out a lot of the noise.. maybe you can get your daughter one of those.. if you try and fight it, you ll just get more and more frustrated.. get the wave machine.. I couldn't imagine NOT having it... love love love it !!

I would definately flag him down and have a friendly conversation with him. Otherwise, how is he to know he's disturbing so many people? Since he doesn't seem to have customers he's likely willing to change his route or turn the music off. He may be so used to the sound he doesn't think to turn it off on his way to a more profitable neighborhood.

Can your daughter wear ear plugs to bed?
Or maybe you can put a white noise generator in her room so she can't hear the music so much.

No, absolutely not. We make a cone at home and go for a walk, some evenings. Ice cream is great, but the stuff off the truck is expensive!

Go out and talk to the guy. I had to do that when I worked at a daycare and the ice cream truck came around at freaking naptime. The person was nice and stopped; don't know if they turned their music off or just avoided the block. Problem solved.

Isn't it still light out? If I were an ice cream truck driver I'd keep driving while it was light out. Does he even know (or care) that school has started?

I don't think there's anything wrong with asking him to turn down the music. I try not to buy ice cream off a truck. Too expensive. Maybe a couple times a summer.

White noise! We run a box fan in our room when we are sleeping, and it's amazing. It really drowns out noises around us. I bet she won't notice the music at all if you run a fan in her room.

No. First, because ice cream trucks creep me out. Secondly, that's too late!

Probably not.
Honestly, ice cream trucks kinda creep me out.

No, I would not buy. It only encourages them to come back.

Check your town ordinances. Our town does not allow them. Some need a special permit. Just FYI

Ice cream trucks are not allowed, thankfully, in my area. The village has said they can not regulate who is driving those trucks and thus creates a dangerous situation for children. I totally agree. Imagine if it was a sex offender and here come all the children running after him - parents maybe watching or maybe not. Then one day, one of the kids disappears.

I'd call your town and ask them about the truck and it's annoyance in your neighborhood. If you and your neighbors each call, then the town may listen.

No, I would not buy ice cream from any truck, no matter what time.

Probably selling drugs and not ice cream most likely.

Hell to the no! Tell the driver to his/her face to not come by that late. If you're in an HOA, bring it up there. If not, print up a notice stating your grievances and have your neighborhood sign it and give it to the driver of the ice cream truck.

The driver here plays music that's definitely Christmas music. However, he goes through so fast that the kids can't flag him down... still, it's funny to hear music for "Frosty the Snow Man" pipe through in August! hahaha

nope..... they would have been in bed already!

And... they sure don't need sugar right before bed!

No. And can't you complain anonymously somewhere to his company?

Honestly, ice cream trucks are so gross anymore. I have only let my kids get ice cream a handful of times from them, and they also think they are gross. The people driving them are TYPICALLY dirty and smell, why do I want that person touching my food? Even if it's just a wrapper. And the trucks are always falling apart - at least in my area. So sorry to be judgemental of them, but we really don't prefer them at all.

My kids ignore the music now and eventually the ice cream truck stops coming down our road. He tries every summer 2 or 3 times, but when he passes with no kids even looking up at him, he doesn't waste his gas or time.

When it's in the afternoon and the truck comes by, I have no problem taking them to a local shop for a treat.