Those seemingly endless childhood stuffy, runny noses may be protecting your child. The chances of developing either asthma or eczema appear to be decreased in children who have had repeated head colds at an early age, according to a report published in the February 17th, 2001 issue of the British Medical Journal. The body is built to fight off and learn from these infections. If children miss out on them, their immune systems are more likely to overreact later to non-harmful particles, leading to asthma or eczema.