I Wrote a Children's Book: Dummy Weaning for Toddlers

I Love My Dummy is a rhyming story that follows a toddler discovering everything they can do once their dummy is gone: eating their favourite snacks, singing their best songs, showing off their smile.

The dummy replacement suggestions in the story reflect what I know about oral sensory needs in toddlers and how to support more functional mouth habits as the dummy goes. It's written for toddlers aged 1 to 4, and it's designed to be read together in the lead-up to weaning.

Why dummy weaning books matter

Toddlers process change differently to adults. Telling a two or three-year-old that the dummy is going and expecting them to accept it rarely works well. They need time to sit with the idea, a way to understand what's happening, and some sense of what comes after.

Books do something that conversations often can't at this age: they externalise the experience. A toddler who has heard a story about a character saying goodbye to their dummy has a framework for what that might look like for them. It doesn't guarantee a smooth transition, but it means the dummy's disappearance isn't a complete shock.

What most dummy weaning books are missing

The books I came across before writing I Love My Dummy focused almost entirely on the farewell. The dummy goes to the fairies, gets left for a new baby, or gets posted somewhere special. The story ends there.

What they didn't address was the oral sensory piece.

Dummies meet a real need. They provide oral sensory input, comfort, and something to suck on when a child needs to self-regulate. When the dummy goes, that need doesn't disappear. A good dummy weaning book should acknowledge what the child's mouth is going to need after the dummy goes, and offer something functional to replace it. That's what I set out to write.

I wanted a book that acknowledged how much toddlers genuinely love their dummy, guided them through the discovery of what life without it could look like, and offered something real to replace it with. Not just a farewell ritual.

The practical side of dummy weaning

A book is one piece of the puzzle. The other is having a clear plan: when to start, which approach to take, what to put in place before the dummy disappears, and how to hold steady when it gets hard.

The Dummy Weaning Checklist covers all of it. It's a six-step guide written from both a clinical and personal perspective, designed to give you a clear picture of what's worth thinking about before you start.

About The Face Place
The Face Place supports families with early intervention care for children’s oral function and dental health. Led by Oral Health Therapist Melanie Van Schelven, our approach blends clinical insight with family-centered education, helping parents understand why something’s happening and what to do next.

Visit thefaceplaceofm.com.au for more free guides and evidence-based support.