terrible two stage

Time outs do work if used properly. Only leave them there for a minute for each birthday they have had and when the time is over talk to your child about the reasons they are there. I'm sure your child isn't always into mischief, make sure when he does something good that you give him lots of praise. I like to make more of a fuss when they do something good as to when they do something not so good. They soon learn that they get more of your attention when they are doing the right thing.

Time outs do work. One minute per year of age. They may scream and cry but just ignore it. When time is up (use a timer so you both know how much time is left) get on his level and let him know what he did wrong, tell him it is not allowed, and give him a hug and tell him you love him. It really does work, you just have to be patient and consistant. Good Luck!

I don't agree with the other posters that said time outs do work. Sure, they work for some children, but not all children. You have to figure out whether or not they will work for your child, though. After all, you know him better than anyone else. I will agree with them, though about consistency being key. Children need to learn that no means no. If you say you are going to do something you need to follow through with it. Toddlers learn very quickly what they can and can't get away with. Time outs never worked for my niece and they don't work for my son yet, either. Because they can easily entertain themselves. Telling them they can't play and that they have to look at the wall for a couple minutes means nothing to either of them. My 12 month old son just sings or talks to the wall. What works for my niece is to tell her that if Mommy doesn't count all the way to five, she gets an extra story at bedtime. Mommy adds a number to the count when she does something bad and takes one away when she does something good. It works really well because she loves listening to my sister or brother in law read to her. If they get to 4, she starts behaving much better and looking for good things she can do to drop her number back down.