Bunk bed facts for kids

Bunks on a US naval ship.

A bunk bed is a stack of two or more beds. Metal poles or wooden beams connect the bottom bed (called the bottom bunk) to the top bed (called the top bunk). A ladder is used to get up to the top bunk. The ladder is usually attached to the bed. In the Philippines, a bunk bed is called a double deck.

Use in homes

Bunk beds are often used in children's rooms. Since bunk beds allow a family to put two beds in the space of a single bed, bunk beds save space. Bunk beds help families with small apartments or houses to have enough beds for their children.

Use in institutions and public facilities

Bunk beds are often used in institutions such as prisons. As well, they are often used in public facilities such as homeless shelters and bomb shelters. Bunk beds are also used in firehalls, to give firefighters a place to sleep. Many military organizations use bunk beds. Navy ships and submarines use bunk beds for the sailors to sleep in. Army barracks sometimes have bunk beds for soldiers.

Use in camps and hostels

Summer camps and winter cabins for children (such as boy scouts or girl scouts) often have bunk beds. Hostels, a type of inexpensive hotel for travelers, often have bunk beds. Some ski lodges have bunk beds in their rooms.

Images for kids

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  Children's bunk bed

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  Bunks of French aircraft carrier Clemenceau.

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  Triple loft bed; left, a loft bed with bookshelf below, right, a two-story bunk bed

See also

In Spanish: Litera (mueble) para niños