Does time out work for toddlers?

Our little guy (18 months old) is acting out more regularly these days.  He'll throw food, pull hair, and spill the dog's food and water everywhere.  And that's all within five minutes.

My wife and I have taken to placing him in "time out" which just means he has to sit on the edge of the stairs away from the family room.  He'll cry like he's mortally wounded for a few seconds and then come sheepishly back.  We always, of course, welcome him back and talk very calmly about why he got the time out and encourage him to help clean up whatever mess incited the whole incident.

My question is, is this the best way to handle this type of discipline?  Any suggestions would be appreciated!

Personal opinion only here....I think 18 months is a tad too young to expect him to understand fully discipline and consequenses, etc.  And he seems to be strong-willed.  I would tell him a very strong NO, and put him in a real time-out....like in his playpen in the living room...and make him stay a bit longer than he does on the stairs. 

I admit it...I'm an old-fashioned mom.  Explanations really are only useful for an older child, and even then you aren't likely to get the child to agree with you very often.  But that is irrevelant.  Ultimately, for the child's safety and well being, the bottom line is...because I said so.  He/she has to learn to obey even without discussion/explanation.

Since you're dealing with a toddler, you might keep in mind that they have extremely short attentions. The time out way of discipilne will most likely not work on a toddler that is under 2 1/2 years old. If this is your situation, you might attempt something else, like taking a time-out with him/her do something simple and quite like reading a book or talking softly to one another.

Mostly, let your child know that you are not angry at them, but that you disapprove of their actions.   Separating the sin from the sinner, as my pastor would say.  Losing your cool will not help but merely frighten them which is not going to get your point across.

Basically, if you use the time-out method, let them know that you still love them.

I have actually asked my pediatrician when babies can really grasp what you are asking them to do and not to do. His answer was at around the age of 12 months. I was surprised to hear this, but based on my babies (both of them) reaction to the word time out i think they get it.

Now, with that being said, I have two totally different kids with two totally different personalities. My daughter, unless in a bad mood, generally does not have to be told more than a couple of times (a day, mind you) no before finally giving up and moving on. My son, on the other hand, would spend the day in time out if I had the patience to do it.

To sum it up, with my daughter, time out works because it hurts her feelings more than it does my son. To my son, I think he thinks it is fun because he really does spend so much time there~it is his second home.

18 months is probably too early to think of formal ways to discipline.  But I have noticed that if you temporarily take away a favorite toy, or activity as punishment, that is a language even very young kids understand. They are a lot smarter than we give them credit for. They learn to associate missing out on the toy/game with when they have been naughty, and start to think twice before doing it again. You might even notice them starting to hide a mess they made, or trying frantically to clean up.  These are signs that they can comprehend their mistakes, and is definitely progress.