My nephew is having episodes of being defiant, and it happens both at daycare and at home. He is an only child, and is three and a half. The people at the daycare have some new teachers, who, are in my opinion, a bit "weak" as far as discipline is concerned. Are there any books that any of you recommend or other methods besides timeouts and old-fashioned discipline (they are doing those and not having a lot of great luck!)

I have seen some parents bring in books to help teachers with, and most of the time the teachers just toss them aside. I would sit down with the teacher and explain how you want your child to be taken care of, and when they don't follow your rules, report them.

Report them to whom? The daycare owners? I guess that would be a start. I think part of the problem is that he is just intelligent enough to wrap some of the weaker-willed daycare providers around his little finger, as he can really turn on the charm when he wants too. Thanks for the advice though!

Consistency is the key to most behavioral problems. If one person lets a smart child get away with something they will try it with each other person they interact with. It sets up a variable reward. Sometimes they might not get what they want, but its worth the risk. And negative attention is better than no attention.