used a rail for our kids and never had any problems. As babies get older, they will want to climb over it and this will be dangerous if the bed is high off the floor. This is what we did to our bed to make it safe. First, we lowered it by removing the frame. Just have a box spring and mattress, this way it's low enough so that baby won't get hurt when she rolls off. This is also important over the next year or two when she is trying to climb in and out of bed; the lower bed the easier and safer it is.