...to expect my MIL to agree to a stair gate? She seems dead set against it. I apologise for the long entry but I am so upset because of the knock on affect this has. She maintains that absolute vigilance and training my 16 month old boy will be enough to prevent an accident. He is climbing all over the place. At home there are stair gates for the kitchen, bottom and top of the stairs. My MIL has compromised with one at the kitchen/ dine because her own daughter, my wife, received a nasty scald all down her neck when she was a toddler. When her other grandson (my sister in laws boy) was a toddler there were stair gates in the house. I am getting really frustrated because I want to send LO to nursery and the best one is nearest my MIL. It would be ideal for him to be collected and taken to MIL house where I can pick him up after work. I am a stay at home dad and really desperate to get back to work but sorting out these childcare issues are posing a real problem. It will mean sending him to a second/ third choice nursery instead and puts much more pressure on my own mum to collect him and take him to the safer environment of my house. I am in counseling due to stress and I really don't need this. My wife gets through to her mum by being aggressive towards her and she has a reputation for this. But it seems to me that the obvious common sense of health and safety, risk assessment etc route I have taken is getting me nowhere. To top it all my MIL is a personal carer to the elderly. You would think she would bloody well understand!!!!!! I really need some advice/ support from anyone out there PLEASE!