When did your toddler say goodbye to pacifiers??

Hi everyone! I have a 2.5 year old son who uses a pacifier during his naps and at night time, they’re definitely his comfort item and he won’t sleep without them (he also likes to have extras in his bed to hold while sleeping). Last night we tried to say goodbye to them, we coloured an Amazon box and put them inside to send to other babies who need them. But at night he was basically up until 3 am crying. I let him sleep with me because I knew he’d be upset, but it felt wrong letting him cry that long when there was nothing else I could do. I ended up giving in and gave him his pacifiers back and he went right to sleep, he was so tired and sad. I’d like to hear some other experiences/ advice you have, anything you think would help! Also wondering if it’s better to wait until he gets a bit older and can understand more, or is it going to be harder the longer we wait? Thank you 😊