If you are concerned your child may be suffering from asthma, there are some simple but important things you can do.

1.) Keep a written record (include dates) of when your child develops a cold. Record the severity and duration of each cold. Compare his or her cold's duration, if possible, to other children of the same age, by consulting with mothers who have children roughly the same age.

2.)If a parent has asthma, there is a higher chance that the child may have asthma.

3.) If your child persistently coughs after any activities that normally require lots of breath, such as crying, running or other exercises, or yelling, this may be indicative of asthma. Coughing at bed-time and throughout the night are very common because symptoms get worse at night. Your child may wake up during the night consistently or be extremely tired in the morning because of a lack of proper sleep. Some other symptoms that may or may not go hand in hand with asthma are hay fever, a history of wheezing from an early age, and also, wheezing when no cold or virus is present. Wheezing and whistling sounds in children with asthma can, when present, be heard when the child exhales. Also consider whether your child has had a history of bronchitis or pneumonia, chest tightness, or general shortness of breath.

4.) Make a list of any and all over-the-counter medications you give or have given the child and how he or she has reacted. Did certain ones calm the symptoms? Did any of them have negative side effects, or simply not help?

5.) Discuss your observations, the medication list, and related family medical history with your family doctor.

In particularly young children asthma is often very difficult to diagnose. Many general practitioners are familiar with the symptoms, because it is a very common condition. But if a few separate visits, at most, to your family doctor does not produce a logical diagnosis, consult a specialist. If your child is experiencing breathing problems, there's no reason to wait until you've visited the same primary care doctor multiple times over months or years. You want to get an accurate diagnosis as soon as possible.

Ideally, you want to find a Pediatric Asthma Specialist. These asthma specialists solely treat children. If you can't find this kind of doctor, consult an Allergy and Asthma specialist (a doctor who has a great deal of knowledge and experience treating both allergies and asthma). This type of doctor can

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