Canopy beds originated in medieval times when castles draped heavy curtains over the beds to keep out drafts and retain warmth in the winter then replaced them with light, thin netted canopies in the spring and summer to keep out bugs and other pests. Seen this way, a kids canopy bed doesn't seem so girlie at all.

The rich later adopted the practice of sleeping under canopies simply because canopy beds had by then taken on the mystique of being associated with wealth, no matter they now had central heating, air conditioning, and screen windows to take care of all the practical concerns that canopies resolved.

Boys canopy beds, then, provide one way for you to help make your son feel like the richest little boy on the block.

Fabric is Only One Option

Many people, when they think of kids canopy beds, think of billowy fabric, sheen and frilly, but that's by far the only kind of canopy there is. The canopies in kids beds can be built of wood or wrought iron too.

Creative Boys Canopy Bed Ideas

To help jump-start your creativity, here are some ways that canopies can be incorporated into some of the more popular boys theme bed ideas:

• A tree house theme bed could have a wooden slat platform for a lower canopy, creating a multi-use "cave" or sorts embedded in the tree's trunk, and a jungle foliage canopy branching out over the upper level adding to the forest ambiance.
• A racecar bed could have a sheet metal canopy as the roof of the car (it can even be made convertible) or it can form the ceiling of the garage where the race car bed is parked. Alternatively, use a canvas canopy and give your little boys race car theme bed its own indoor/outdoor carport.
• A seafaring vessel like a sailboat, a pirate ship, an ocean liner, an aircraft carrier, or a tanker could have a canopy of sorts as its sail or mast.
• Make your little boy feel like a pioneer with a wild west theme boys bedroom that incorporates a canopy into a custom covered wagon theme bed that's on an important frontier expedition.
• A jungle safari theme bed could have a netting canopy to emulate the mosquito netting needed in the buggy tropical rainforest environment.
• And lastly, drawing on the very history of canopy beds, make your little boy feel like lord of his manor with a princely (or kingly) custom castle bed equipped with its own canopy.