8 parents share the strangest bedtime requests their kids have made

There's nothing more adorable than a toddler sleeping peacefully.

But, sometimes, it can take what feels like all your energy and effort to simply get them to nod off. From getting out of bed a million and one times just for extra hugs to needing an exact number of stuffies (in an exact position), toddlers tend to have some more...unusual bedtime routines. Parents have been taking to social media to share the strangest bedtime request their kids make - and the results are hilarious. It all began with Reddit user /u/fishsocks, who recounted their son's "nighttime orange" thing. They explained:

"Recently my son developed a ‘nighttime orange’ thing. He wants to hold an orange, in addition to his puppy, in bed. He doesn’t eat it, just holds it."

/u/fishsocks then asked fellow parents for the "oddball routines" their kids have or need to do right before bed - and they were only too happy to oblige. Here are some of our favourite responses...

"Just a dabbed on."

"My daughter wants a dab of lotion on the bottom of each foot.... not rubbed in, just dabbed on. "Half the time she’ll try to sleep with her feet up so it doesn’t get rubbed in by touching the mattress. Kids are SO WEIRD! But absolutely awesome." [x]

"My son calls his gummy vitamin the heart of Te Fiti.."

"My son calls his gummy vitamin the heart of Te Fiti. He holds it until he’s settled in his bed, and then he eats it. "Last night I popped it right into his open mouth without thinking while we were still in the kitchen, and he immediately let me know that was not okay." [x]

"My daughter has a giant stuffed cat who sleeps on her right side..."

"My daughter has a giant stuffed cat who sleeps on her right side, her pink puppy that sleeps on her left side, her soft baby doll that has a rattle inside, and a pink pair of sunglasses. "The sunglasses broke recently and she asks about them every night and will sometimes sob herself to sleep. She has two other pair, but they aren’t THE pink sunglasses. "She didn’t always have to put them on, but when she did they were always upside down. She insists that sunglasses are to be worn that way." [x]

"She counts them before I can leave the room...."

"I can't find the 3.5 year old under the pile of books she insists on having with her. "A different number every night and she counts them before I can leave the room.... "And of course the lucky rock that has been in her bed since she was 2. It's definitely just a gravel piece from the front yard....." [x]

"He will cry in his sleep if he wants it..."

"My son has to touch my belly button. He will cry in his sleep if he wants it and can't find it. "He will ask me randomly throughout the day 'where belly button go?' Lift my shirt and say 'there it is!' Then touch it." [x]

"Every night is a scramble for those little critters..."

"Mine requires 2 clay pigs and a clay baby in his hand every night before going to sleep. I'm now kicking myself for making them(We were playing with clay a week ago). "Every night is a scramble for those little critters as he places them all over the apartment. Thankfully they aren't made of crumbly air dry clay as that will leave pieces everywhere with his iron grip." [x]

"It isn’t too bad now..."

"My kids require the amount of kisses before bed by their ages. It isn’t too bad now because they’re 5 and 2." [x]

"He insisted on sleeping with it..."

"When my oldest was 2 I got a cheap Halloween door mat. He insisted on sleeping with it. Like snuggling it." [x]