Parent Diaries – Potty Training Journey
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- Bambino Mio
- Parent Life Product
- 17 / 02 / 2026
Potty training is a milestone that looks different for every family. In this edition of Parent Diaries, we chat to Ingrid from the Bambino Mio® team about potty training her daughter Astrid.
Ingrid shares her honest experience, from when they started and the ups and downs along the way, to how her cultural background shaped her approach and what she wishes she’d known before she began.
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Can you tell us a little about you and Astrid?
Astrid is my first and only child. She’s two years and ten months old, and I genuinely love being her mum. I really enjoy spending my free time with her and sharing all those everyday little moments together.
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When did you first start thinking about potty training?
I first started thinking about potty training when Astrid began crawling, which was around seven and a half months old. When she was eight months old, I decided to introduce her to a potty at home. From that point on, she was sitting on the potty regularly, and I focused on creating small, positive habits around it.
I didn’t put her on the potty randomly. About 30 minutes after her morning milk bottle, I would gently sit her on the potty, and most of the time she would wee. I always praised her and made it feel like a big achievement. Even though she was very young, I feel this helped her start building a positive relationship with the potty early on.
She only started properly using potty training pants later, when we officially potty trained in January 2025, when she was one year and ten months old.
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What made you feel it was the right time to begin?
The fact that Astrid was already crawling and starting to pull herself up and stand made me feel it was the right time to introduce the potty. I wanted her to become familiar with it long before we officially potty trained.
We always had a potty in the living room and another upstairs in the bathroom, so it became a normal part of everyday life.
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What were the biggest wins along the way?
One of the biggest wins was helping Astrid understand her body and begin to recognise her own signals. It also gave her more independence at nursery, as she didn’t have to rely completely on staff to notice when she needed to go.
I think this approach helped build her confidence over time and made her feel more independent.
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And what were the toughest moments?
The toughest moments were definitely before she was fully potty trained. There were times when she would sit on the potty and then have accidents shortly after.
I remember one particularly messy moment that made me question whether I should wait longer. But once the mess was gone, I reminded myself why I’d started and stuck to the routine.
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Did anything surprise you once you started?
What really surprised me was how much Astrid loved her potty training pants. She often chose her training pants over normal underwear, which made the whole experience feel positive and exciting.
It was one of the sweetest and most rewarding parts of the journey for me.
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How did your cultural background influence your approach?
I come from Transylvania, in the western part of Romania, where early potty training was very common. Disposable nappies weren’t widely available, so reusable nappies were the norm and children were potty trained early.
I was potty trained at one year old myself. This background really influenced my mindset and made me feel more confident about gently introducing the potty early on.
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Were there any routines or products that really helped?
Having a consistent routine made the biggest difference. Astrid would sit on the potty after meals, especially after liquid meals like her morning milk.
By the time we officially started potty training, she was already used to sitting at key moments of the day. We kept things simple and stuck with a small number of familiar products, including a potty and potty training pants.
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What do you wish you had known before you started?
I wish I had known that potty training can take a few months. I initially expected it to happen very quickly and realised later that I had set my expectations too high.
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What advice would you give to parents just starting their journey?
I would encourage parents to start when they feel comfortable and keep things relaxed and positive. Don’t force children to sit too long, celebrate small wins, and keep expectations realistic.
In my experience, potty training pants can really help, especially when out and about, as they support confidence and independence without confusion.
Revolutionary Potty Training Pants
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