After I put the new baby clothes up, I could never resist walking over to the crib and admiring it in all it’s beauty. Put up to the highest setting, adorned with animals, decorative pillows, quilts and blankets all artfully arranged. Not baby safe in the least, mind you, but beautiful. I loved to gaze at the crib this way in the last months of my pregnancy because I knew once baby came it would never look like this again.

And after nine months of waiting, it’s amazing how fast those little babies grow. There’s so much going on, sometimes we forget a crucial step after each of baby’s little accomplishments—lowering the crib.

Most cribs have three settings, and they are designed to be lowered after two big milestones: rolling over and sitting up. This is to prevent baby from getting ahead of you and figuring things out before you realize they can pull up and swing that leg over the crib.

Once baby can roll over, lower the crib. When baby can sit, put it on it’s lowest setting. 

Lowering the crib promptly will help prevent falls and accidents. Remember, you don’t even have to put the crib on the highest setting to begin with if you don’t need to. Taller moms may not really need it. Many cribs also come in a low profile design for shorter moms, too, which can eliminate the need for the crib to be adjusted high for newborns.

Remember, when baby learns to get out of the crib, it’s over. Take the side off and use a conversion kit to make your crib a toddler bed, or get a new toddler bed. But baby should not be kept in a crib he or she can get out of. It’s just too dangerous. Sadly, some kids—like my middle child–figure this trick out at 10 months.

Another tip to remember when decorating baby’s room is to keep all décor items, curtains, blinds cords, lamps and other room décor out of reach of the crib. You’ll be amazed at what baby can reach once they can stand and they are bored waiting for you to come get them in the morning.

For more tips on keeping baby’s room safe, visit TheChildrensTrust.org.

Erin Burt is a freelance writer and mom of one monkey child and two average children. She lives and writes in Queensbury, New York.