Discipline for 2 Year Old

We do time out and will continue until it stops working. He is almost 4 and time out is still earth shattering!!

Well we pretty much do time out the second time, unless it's a major infraction like hitting, then it's straight to time out. If he's doing something and I ask him to stop, that's a warning, next time is time out. I agree that time outs aren't hugely affective at this age, but I believe they work with consistency. I make my son apologize, say why he's apologizing and give a hug and/or kiss to the one offended. If your 2 y/o isn't talking much yet, then you can say the words for her, Susie is sorry for hitting you, next time she'll ask for the toy back. Then hug, kiss. Something like that.

I also still redirect a lot. Sometimes they just need to be removed from the situation. Also, I know she's only 2, but I try really hard to make sure my older child doesn't always have to give in to the younger child. Yes, it's easier, but it's just teaching the little one they can always have their way which will inevitably make the tantrums more extreme when they don't get what they want.

Yes, I believe they're effective, if used consistently. Up until 18 months a child responds best to distraction. By 18 months they can reason to do something or not do it, based on the consequence. If nothing happens to make them unhappy what incentive is there for them to not do it again? If they get a time out for say, throwing things or hitting someone they'll think twice before they do it again. This isn't to say they won't have to work on self-control, of course they will, some a short time, some a loooong time, it depends on the child's temperament. And it doesn't mean that they will learn with the first time out. But if they receive a consequence such as a time out each and every time they earn one they'll start to connect the action and consequence together and eventually reason it isn't fun to hit and then go sit in time out.

My guy is 3, he knows what is allowed and isn't, so he gets a time out the first time he does something he shouldn't. If I allow him to do it the first couple of times with no consequence, of course he's going to push the limits ; )

Redirection works best at this age. Time outs are really meant for the 3yo and older set.

I think it depends on the kid. I had one son that was high energy & a time out , for him, was very effective. Him sitting in a boring area , was the end of the world. As he got older, taking his favorite toy away for a day worked better. My current 2 year old , is harder to discipline & we're still trying to figure him out. He could care less , about time out.

Yes time outs work. Parents have a short attention span and give up on things without being consistent. When my son was two he pretty much had to live in time out but it paid off. When he got to kindergarten and an adult said something to him he stopped, looked at them in the face and said yes ma'am and listened. Otherwise he would have ended up like most other kids on medication, because he was wild!
He would climb, hit, throw and run out in a parking lot without stopping and I was nursing his sister because they were born 22 months apart and potty training him. Motherhood is not for sissies.
I had to use a soft balsa wooden spoon to keep him in time out at first by popping him on his diaper, but he learned to sit there until the timer went off on the stove. Just like five min or maybe 10 but he had to tell me that he was sorry and that he would not do whatever it was again and then we would hug and I would tell him I adored him and then he would get up and in less than ten minutes he was doing something again and we would repeat the whole thing. This went on for probably a year and then there was a slow improvement. But things do not change over night. You are your child's first teacher and it is why they need to be with their mother who can do this and care enough to hang in there when it is tough and not be in a herd with other kids all fighting for the same toys and attention. Telling her 3X is too many. I agree with the person that said warn once and then go to time out. No talking, just go and sit there and think about what you did wrong.

So what are things that she should do a time out for?

Discipline for what, exactly?

Different methods work better for different children. If your child JUST turned 2, you might do something different than a child who is ABOUT to turn 3. That's a HUGE difference in development.

I would try to use natural consequences as much as you can at age 2. Especially the closer to 24 months he/she is.
Throwing toys? Remove the toys (put them in a laundry basket on top of the fridge or whatever). Fighting with siblings? Depends on what they are fighting about and HOW they are fighting. If they are grabbing/throwing/pushing etc.. .then they need to be removed from the area. But it is hard to know who started it, and so you have to be VERY careful here. It isn't always the same one. Really. As soon as you notice any sort of "pattern", the "victim" child will have noticed it too, and will preemptively do things to cause the other one to get in trouble, that you don't see.

I never really found time outs all that effective, to be honest. My son was very strong willed, and there was no keeping him in a chair or whatever, without physically restraining him. At that point, umm.. it's not really time out. It is a parent holding a child down. So not effective.

Remove the desired "toy". Remove the child (not necessarily to a time out "place", but away from the object of desire, be that a sibling, a plant, an electronic device, whatever). They don't even have to sit and be bored... playing happily at something else that is allowed was fine by me!

Hitting requires removal of the offender and an apology. And usually, hitting is due to a child wanting something another one has. So the one who was the "victim" receives the spoils and the one who was hitting gets nothing.
Those are your best "weapons" with a 2 year old.

Dr Sears is an expert in this field and has tons of advice:

http://askdrsears.com/topics/discipline-behavior

He gets more specific on the "bothersome behaviors" link.