For example kids bunk beds can be turned into a castle just by hanging a sheet off the side of the top bunk. Or perhaps a battleship, or a dungeon.

And kids can spend hours playing on kids bunk beds and having fun.

However there are some safety issues that you should be aware of with kids bunk beds. Take some simple precautions and your kids should have years of fun with their bunks and be happy to share their bedrooms.

Kids can fall from the top bunk when playing. Of course a fall from the bottom bunk isn't too much of an issue, it's only 8 or 10 inches off the floor, but a fall from the top bunk is a different matter.

Make sure any kids bunk bed you buy has a proper guard rail right around the top. It is also suggested that you should have a gap of no more than 3 inches or so between the bottom of the rail and the top of the edge of the mattress, as a larger gap can allow a small child to slip through and perhaps catch between the guardrail and the mattress.

And if you have kids bunk beds already and have young children using them it doesn't hurt to add some extra rails if there is any space larger than 3 or 4 inches that a child can slip through. The top of the guard rails should be 6 or more inches higher than the top of the mattress at least.

And make sure the guard rails are solid and strong and cannot become dislodged in any way. Don't use detachable railings, you can get these on come bunkbeds and you don't want them to become detached. Or if you have detachable railings on an existing bunk bed fasten them securely somehow.

And it is also wise to check the slats that the upper mattress rests on. On some kids bunk beds these can be put in place and required to stay there under their own weight and the weight of the mattress. If a child underneath pushes up on the mattress the slats can dislodge and the mattress and anything else on it like sheets and pillows, and another child, can fall on the child below.

This can be simply fixed, just fasten the slats securely.

And make sure that the mattress is the right size for the bed with no gaps anywhere for the child to fall through, not all mattresses are the same size.

Take some basic precautions and kids should have years of fun with their bunks. Good kids bunk beds allow you to house 2 kids in a bedroom with maximum space available where the use of 2 single beds might cause problems.

There are bunks that come in all shapes and sizes, and even bunks with cupboards and drawers in places to add to your storage space. And kids bunk beds look great, much better than regular single beds.

So do your kids a favor and treat them to some kids bunk beds, they'll love them. Just take some precautions.

And bunks aren't as expensive as you might imagine if you shop in the right place. The right place for cheap bunk beds is online.