What to Do About Recurring Illnesses

 breathing tubes that premature infants often require may scar the delicate lining of the trachea, leading to more croup as they grow.7 Asthma and a

 family history of allergies also heighten a child's risk.

For some kids, a recurrent croupy cough isn't even prompted by a viral infection: Muscle spasms start the process.

Advice for Parents

Skip the cough syrup, since it won't reach the larynx or trachea. And never try to open your child's airways with your finger. The best home treatment? Time in a steamy bathroom (turn on the shower). Or if that doesn't work, try moist, cold air. Call your pediatrician—or 911—if your child's breathing worries you.

Ear Infections

Some kids are prone to repeated ear infections, which affect the part of the ear that's behind the eardrum, caused by bacteria or viruses. Ear infections don't spread from one person to another, says Madathupalayam Madhankumar, MBBS, a gastroenterologist and surgeon. Rather, they're mostly triggered by other issues, like a cold, flu, or allergy.

What's Normal

Two infections a year in children from birth to age 3.

What's Not Normal

Fever and ear pain that persists for more than two days.

Why Your Child Might Be Vulnerable to Ear Infections

Little kids are more prone to middle-ear infections—also known as acute otitis media (AOM)—than are older kids and adults because their eustachian tubes (which drain the ears) are shorter, thinner, and more horizontal.8 During a cold, these tubes swell, trapping fluid in the middle ear, which becomes a perfect breeding ground for bacteria and viruses.

Children who have extra-short or extra-slim tubes are at even greater risk of getting AOM, says Margaret Fisher, MD, chair of Monmouth Medical Center's pediatric department in Long Branch, New Jersey. Kids with a certain type of bone structure may have problems as well. "The flatter the middle of a child's face, the less the eustachian tube will be angled," says Dr. Fisher.

Living with a smoker and inhaling secondhand smoke raises a child's risk of ear infection.9 And lying flat while drinking a bottle or inheriting low levels of maternal antibodies to pneumococcal bacteria also increase the