How We Weaned the Nighttime Pacifier (What Worked for Our Toddler)

File under: things I wish we did before we had two kids.

Today marks one month since we officially said bye-bye to the “baba” (aka the pacifier).

This had been on our radar for a while, especially because we had a few big transitions coming up. This was the first domino we needed to knock down. Step one: wean Margot from her pacifier. Step two: move Wyatt into his own room—because they share a wall, and nighttime noise was about to matter a lot more.

We were stresssssssing about this, but eventually we picked a date and committed. We landed on a Thursday night, figuring it was close enough to the weekend if sleep went sideways. In hindsight, we really wish we had paired this with when daycare weaned her from daytime pacifier use back in April. At the time, it felt too daunting—and honestly, the longer she had it, the more attached she became.

That experience is also exactly why we never introduced a pacifier to Wyatt. I made the decision to be his human pacifier (which, ironically, was the main reason we gave Margot one in the first place) so we wouldn’t have to go through this again.

Choosing a Method

We went back and forth on how to approach the weaning process. We had previously tried the Frida Baby Weaning System, but she hated them. We also considered going the Pacifier Fairy route and have her “plant” her pacifiers, but couldn’t quite figure out the logistics, especially with how early it gets dark now.

Then I met another mom at Shoots who mentioned using a few books along with the Pacifier Fairy concept. She didn’t mention specific titles, so I went searching on Amazon. I couldn’t find a Pacifier Fairy book I loved, but I did come across this Pull-And-Play Pacifier book, which felt like a good fit since Margot already loves her Go Green! Pull-The-Tab book.

We read the pacifier book to her every night for about two weeks leading up to the big night, just casually introducing the idea and letting it sink in.

Supporting the Transition

After some Googling, I also found recommendations for an Elmo pacifier episode on YouTube. We watched it a few mornings before school in the days leading up to weaning, and it helped normalize the idea in a way that felt familiar and comforting to her.

We also wanted to give her a physical substitute in case she relied on her pacifier for teething relief. We chose a teether shaped like one of her favorite things—a baby goat—which felt comforting but different enough to signal a change.

Coincidentally, I had just bought her a toddler pillow, so we presented both the teether and the pillow as her new “big girl tools”—things she could use to feel cozy and safe now that her pacifier was gone.

The Follow-Through (This Part Matters)

After the first night, we threw away all of her pacifiers.

I am so glad we did this.

When she asked for her baba, I could show her the empty bin where they used to live and calmly explain that we had already said “bye-bye.” There was no back-and-forth, no wondering if it might reappear—just consistency.

The Emotional Side (For Both of Us)

Lastly, I started listening to Good Inside the same week we weaned her, and the timing couldn’t have been better. The early chapters unintentionally gave me the patience and framework I didn’t realize I needed.

It helped me understand that this transition would bring up big feelings—and that my job wasn’t to eliminate those feelings, but to meet them with compassion instead of frustration. That mindset shift alone made a huge difference during the inevitable tears and tantrums.

Resources

If you’ve already weaned the pacifier—or you’re in the middle of it—what helped the most in your house?