How do you discipline a three year old?

Well I don't think that you are expecting anything more then what you should out of a three year old. They are very head strong but you are the parent. Children should understand that you are there to set boundaries and goals with them. If your child begins to drift being good then pick them up and remove them from the room. Find a small quiet room and talk to them. Make them understand that if they won't listen then you are going to leave. A reward at the end of the day is good also. Makes you feel good too! Hope it helps!

I use the corner method and it works great. If you are at a social place you can still use time out. Take him to the bathroom with you and let him know what he did wrong and make him face the wall for like 2-3 minutes. It will look like you are just going to use the bathroom. Or, you could just whisper in his ear. Something like "when we get home, you are not going to be able to play with your toys, if you do not calm down and be good for mommy" Anything like that. My girls are 2 and 4 and I have been using this method since my first one could comprehend. And I will tell you both of them are very good, and very well mannered. They know better. Yes ma'am's No sir's. They got it down. They know I mean business. And when you tell them they are not going to be able to play with their toys for not being good. you have to stick with it, and remind them " remember you were bad and moma said no toys."

I have never used time-out with my son. I talk to him and tell him that what he is doing is not right and that he needs to stop. I give him a warning, and on the second one I do a countdown from 5 to 0. If he doesn't listen then I give him a little spanking OR I take away his favourite toy/s or ground him in a sense where he isn't allowed to watch tv, or play his playstation or something along those lines. Kids don't like it when you take their favourite things from them, so he listens pretty quickly when I do it. If we are going to a public place, I make sure that I talk to him BEFORE we get to the event. I set the boundaries and tell him if he misbehaves then we will leave the event. I do give him one chance though if he does misbehave, I mean they are kids and its likely they will get up to mischief. I know its hard sometimes and now and then neither of these tactics work, but you just need to persevere and keep at it. You need to be firm but not hard if you know what I mean, and there is nothing wrong with a little spanking either!

Personally, I don't care what the hosts of the party say - if I don't feel my kids should be somewhere, they don't go. Especially if I'm supposed to enjoy myself! That being said, three year olds are rather headstrong. I'm on my 3rd one, and I can tell you that "terrible twos" are a cake walk compared to what happens at three. But I have yet to have one misbehave in public. It sounds to me like you are not very decisive or firm with him. Time outs are good only if they are absolutely consistently adhered to and administered immediately after the offense, and even then their effectiveness is questionable. Stopping the child, making sure he is facing you, and very firmly, sternly telling him "NO" is often more effective. And for things like trying to stick something in an outlet (outlet covers are a joke - they pick those right out), mine got an immediate spanking. They learned -real- fast not to do that! A child will only listen if he knows you mean business and you are consistent. Otherwise, they'll sense weakness and run all over you. You don't have to be mean to make a child behave, just firm and unyielding. One thing that has spared me the public behavior problems I so often see is that my kids know what I expect of them. I expect them not to go grabbing things off tables, not to run around screaming, not to shout indoors, not to throw things indoors, etc., and I convey this expectation by making it unacceptable no matter where we are. Good luck with this, and don't let the little guy drive you nuts!