Um… you put your 2.5-year-old in a baby carrier? How does that work for you? Either he’s really tiny or you’re really strong…
But you see, it sounds like your son is inherently more calm than many little boys. When my son is upset, holding him in place just gets him more upset, and I wouldn’t even think of confining him to a tight space (especially not a tight space on my own body, where he could wreak considerable havoc on me!) because that would just backfire. His time-outs are more of the screaming, flailing variety. And no, I would not potch him for run-of-the-mill offenses, but I do agree with smartcookie – most kids would not sit and listen nicely, especially younger-than-2 kids, because their attention spans are not made for that. Like oomis said, if there is a real danger present, sitting and talking to your kid will not help. A shout or a potch is much more likely to get his attention and will usually be more effective in the long run. Of course, this needs to be followed up by a talk about why running into the street, for example, is dangerous and why Mommy yelled at or potched you.