I have been known to count to three... There are situations when my kids need to know that time is up and I will make them stop if they don't stop themselves. But as small people I agree with Polly - they needed to be actively taught the language to express their feelings. Nothing will stop my kids crying faster than knowing that they have been understood, even if it doesn't change anything.
This includes young toddlers backing into a table corner and banging their heads and screaming - they may have no idea why suddenly they are in paini, show them and tell them "You backed into the table, you banged your head! Ow! Oh dear!" For all three of my kids this will usually instantly stop tears where the injury was only minor and they were more offended than hurt. Express what happened and they will get on their way. It also aids their spatial awareness as they start to learn to figure out for themselves why their head hurts all of a sudden.
