Just want to throw in the info my doctor told me - a young child can get up to 8 ear infections in a year and still be in "normal" range.

My older daughter was getting constant ear infections her first year of daycare (when I sent her to one, not when I was doing it myself). She also got a horrible asthmatic cough every time she got a cold. She also slept horribly at night until she was around 3 years old. What you are describing sounds like how my daughter used to be. She has been on a limited dairy diet for a long time now and she is rarely sick and now sleeps soundly at night. But I can't say for sure whether it is just because she grew out of it or because of the change in diet.