are cotton swabs safe to use to clean a child's ears   

It is not advisable to use earbuds or cotton swabs to clean a child's ear. Using these can lead to injuries of the inner ear or eardrum. In more severe cases, using earbuds can cause long term problems like hearing loss and body balance problems. If you feel there is an excess build-up of earwax in your child's ear, you can use a soft cotton cloth to wipe the wax that is visible to you. Do not try to probe anything inside your child's ear as that might create more problems.