Despite warnings from experts and even labels stuck on to the products, many parents are still doing this common cleaning mistake with their children every day.
In case you have missed the fuss, cleaning your kids' ears with cotton buds can in worst case scenarios cause balance problems, facial nerve paralysis, hearing loss and dizziness, researchers say.
And the damage can be even worse if your children themselves decide to pick up a swab and put them in their ears (as they have seen you do), because even the slightest wrong angle or too much pressure can have serious consequences, according to
a study published in the journal Pediatrics.
In fact, according to the report, thousands of children end up in emergency rooms of with their GP's every year because of either having pushed ear wax or other debris deeper into the ear canal or puncturing the ear drum.
According to a study from
American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery Foundation as many as 90 percent of us still think ear wax should be regularly removed, despite it being perfectly normal and actually helps protect our ears.
And although the majority of injuries happen when kids themselves are using cotton buds, parents are also responsible for about 16 percent of accidental injuries according to reports.
Do YOU still use cotton buds? Let us know in the comments or tweet us at @Herfamilydotie
